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REFERENDUMS IN SWITZERLAND

Swiss signature scandal: Have Switzerland’s popular referendums been rigged?

You might have heard that Switzerland is in the throes of a scandal involving allegedly forged signatures on voting petitions. What is this about?

Published: 4 September 2024 10:37 CEST
Swiss signature scandal: Have Switzerland's popular referendums been rigged?
Some signatures on political petitions were forged. Image by Ivana Tomášková from Pixabay

Political scandals are very rare in Switzerland, where everyone seems to get along in a civilised manner, despite the divergence of views.

Also, the Swiss are mostly honest, at least in comparison to other nations. 

Therefore, a recent revelation that signatures on some petitions involving popular initiatives were forged sparked outrage in various circles.

What happened?

When a citizen-driven initiative is launched, supporters start gathering the required number of valid signatures — 100,000 must be collected within 18 months for a federal vote; 50,000 are required to challenge an existing law.

READ ALSO: How Switzerland’s direct democracy system works

Often, these signatures are collected by volunteers from the group that spearheads the initiative.

But sometimes, this task is ‘outsourced’ to companies, which are paid by the number of signatures they manage to collect.

It is suspected that the forgery originates with the latter.

How are signatures verified?

Individual municipalities are responsible for checking whether the person in question is entered in the electoral register on the basis of the information provided, such as a surname, first name, address, and date of birth.

Once verified, the petition is passed on to the Federal Chancellery (for federal votes) or cantonal one (for cantonal votes) to re-verify the signatures and announce whether or not a popular initiative or referendum has been successful.

What went wrong?

Signatures should be ‘valid’ — that is, the person signing the petition much be at least 18 years old and a Swiss citizen.

However, according to allegations made earlier this week by Tamedia media group, thousands of signatures for popular initiatives had been forged, with around a dozen federal popular votes held based on forged signatures.

According to the Federal Chancellery, however, there is currently no reliable evidence to suggest that votes were actually held on proposals that were not legally valid.

What happens now?

Various criminal investigations are underway, including by the Office of the Attorney General.  

In the meantime, experts are hoping the scandal will not tarnish Switzerland’s unique system of direct democracy.

“If there was systematic and large-scale fraud, as it appears to be, then this is a huge problem for our democracy, said Martin Hilti, managing director of Transparency International Switzerland.

In terms of concrete measures, the Foundation for Direct Democracy called on the Federal Council and parliament to take immediate measures to put an end to the commercial collection of signatures for initiatives and referendums.
 

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REFERENDUMS IN SWITZERLAND

Who would benefit if Switzerland votes for pension reform?

In the third round of 2024 referendums to be held on September 22nd, Swiss voters will have to decide whether the second-pillar pension should be reformed. But the issue is complex and highly controversial.

Published: 4 September 2024 14:52 CEST
Who would benefit if Switzerland votes for pension reform?

If you are working in Switzerland and plan to retire here, then much is at stake for you in the upcoming referendum, which involves the government’s proposed reform of the second-pillar (LLP) pension.

READ ALSO: What is Switzerland’s ‘second pillar’ pension and how you will benefit from it? 

What is this vote about?

Due to rising life expectancy and other factors, the second-pillar pension (also known as ‘occupational pension’) is no longer adequately financed.

This means that LLP pension of low-earners, most of whom are women who work part-time, might not amount to much once they retire.

The proposed reform, which is supported by the Federal Council and parliament, provides for measures to ensure continued  funding of future pensions.

In addition, many low earners would receive a higher pension when they to retire because their employers will pay higher contributions every month than they do today, the government claims.

Why, then, is this ‘reform’ so controversial?

Mainly because it would benefit a relatively small number of people and have negative impact on the majority, opponents claim.

According to estimates by the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO), reported in Swiss media, people with an annual income of up to 60,000 francs will pay higher contributions in the future, but will receive a significantly higher LPP pension in return. 

However, the age group between 40 and 60 with an income of more than 80,000 francs a year will pay fewer contributions in the future, and also receive a lower pension.

Those hardest hit would be people under 30 with an annual income of at least 75,000 francs, as well as  those aged 35 to 50 with an income of between 65,000 and 80,000 francs: they would pay more contributions in the future, but will receive a lower pension.

Would women actually benefit from the pension reform?

This does not seem to be as clear-cut as supporters of the measure suggest.

The goal of the reform is to guarantee higher LLP payouts to women working part-time or in low-wage jobs in general.

But according to Swiss media, the FSIO “is not in a position to quantify the effects of the reform in concrete terms.”

The lack of accurate calculations is stirring controversy about the proposed measures

The Swiss Trade Union Federation (USS), which did its own calculations, said the reform would lead to a reduction in LPP pensions for a large proportion of employees, contrary to what the “misleading government figures ” indicate. 

The figures published by the government “considerably embellish the situation and the effect on retirement pensions”, according to Daniel Lampart, USS’ chief economist.

“These calculations are based on completely unrealistic assumptions, They assume that a person will receive the same salary throughout their working life, which contrary to the reality,” he pointed out.

In effect, the reform would actually entail cutting the LPP from 6.8  to 6 percent, which means annuities would drop by about 3,240 francs a year on average, opponents say.

Who is for and against the reform?

Besides the Federal Council and parliament, both of which are in favour of the proposed measure, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Swiss Employers’ Association, the Centre, and Green Liberals also support the move.

In the ‘no’ camp are the Swiss Trade Union Federation, Social Democrats, and Greens.

What about the voters?

A poll conducted by MIS Trend market research institute at the end of August, that is, less than three weeks before the referendum, shows that most people are still undecided about how they will vote. 

Of those who have already made up their mind, 29 percent said they are against the reform, while 19 percent are in favour.

READ ALSO: What’s at stake in Switzerland’s federal referendums on September 22nd?

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