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Buy American? Biden pushes US fighter jets in talks with Swiss

US President Joe Biden sang the praises Tuesday of two US-made fighter jets in the running for a major contract to replace Switzerland's fleet, his Swiss counterpart said.

Published: 16 June 2021 10:20 CEST

Buy American? Biden pushes US fighter jets in talks with Swiss

“Mr. Biden recalled the excellent quality of the two US planes” — the F35 made by Lockheed Martin and the F/A 18 made by Boeing, Swiss President Guy Parmelin told reporters after meeting with the US leader in Geneva. Biden is due to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the city on Wednesday.

The two US fighters are competing against the Rafale, made by French company Dassault, and the Eurofighter by Airbus, to replace its ageing fleet of F-5 Tigers and F/A-18 Hornets — both US-made.

“I reminded him that we have a process under way, which was decided on long ago, and that the government will reach its decision based on the process currently under way,” Parmelin said.

According to Swiss media, a decision is expected on June 23 on who gets the contract, worth 6.0 billion Swiss francs ($6.7 billion, 5.5 billion euros).

Switzerland’s long-standing position is one of armed neutrality and the landlocked European country has mandatory conscription for men.

How does Switzerland feel about US fighter jets?

In 2020, Switzerland held a referendum on purchasing fighter jets.

Swiss voters narrowly approved the proposal to spend CHF6 billion on new fighter jets.

The vote was far closer than expected, with under 9,000 votes nationwide deciding the question.

This should put an end to a more than decade-long debate about replacing Switzerland’s ageing fleet of jets, although another vote could be held once the government determines which planes it is looking to buy.

READ MORE: Why is Switzerland holding a referendum on purchasing fighter jets?

However, voters said they were reluctant to buy from the US – at least under former President Donald Trump.

‘No Trump fighter jets’: Swiss don’t want to buy American planes

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Could Geneva be first Swiss canton to grant foreign residents more voting rights?

Foreigners are not allowed to vote on national level anywhere in Switzerland.

Though there had been attempts in the past to change this rule, the latest such move was turned down by legislators in 2022.

However, five cantons are permitting foreign residents to cast their votes in local referendums and elections: Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, and Jura. Conditions vary from one canton to another, but in all cases a certain length of stay and a residence permit are required.

(In Zurich, a similar move was rejected in 2023).

Of the five cantons, only Neuchâtel and Jura authorise foreign residents to vote on cantonal level in addition to communal one; in the others, they can cast municipal ballots only.

Additionally, three other cantons have similar laws on their books, but they this legislation remains mostly inactive.

Basel-City, Graubünden, and Appenzell-Ausserrhoden have authorised their communes to introduce the right to vote, the right to elect, and the right to be elected for their non-Swiss residents.

However, only few of the communes in these cantons have actually introduced these measures.

Wait…Geneva’s foreigners already have the right to vote?

Yes, they have had this right since 2005, but only on municipal level.

However, this could change on June 9th, when Geneva residents will go to the polls to weigh in on an initiative launched by the trade unions and political left, calling for foreigners who have lived in the canton for at least eight years, to be able to vote and stand as candidates for political offices at the cantonal level.

This ‘upgrade’ to the cantonal voting rights is important, supporters argue, because it would enable foreigners to have more political impact.

“Municipal votes are quite rare, and the issues at stake are relatively limited,” the initiative committee said.

Therefore, “access to the cantonal vote will allow these same people to express their views on wider subjects that affect them on a daily basis.”

Is this measure likely to be accepted?

No reliable forecasts exist at this point.

And while foreigners constitute nearly 40 percent of Geneva’s population — the highest proportion in Switzerland — it will be up to Swiss citizens to decide on the outcome.

However, some members of the Geneva parliament are urging the ‘no’ vote on June 9th.

“No canton, no country, provides such generous rights to their foreigners,” the MPs from the centre parties pointed out in an interview with Tribune de Genève over the weekend.

(Neuchâtel and Jura allow voting, but not standing for election, at cantonal level).

“The only path for foreigners to obtain full political rights is through naturalisation,” the MPs added.

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