National referendums held in Switzerland in 2016
Thirteen national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2016.
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Thirteen national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2016.
On 28 February 2016, referendums were held on four initiatives: [1]
The government recommended the rejection of all three popular initiatives, but recommended approval of the amendments to the federal law on road transit in the Alpine region. The vote results followed these recommendations, with higher voter turnout than usual.
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| For the couple and the family | 1,609,152 | 49.2 | 1,664,224 | 50.8 | 80,643 | 3,354,019 | 5,302,797 | 63.2 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 3 | Rejected |
| Expulsion of foreign criminals | 1,375,098 | 41.1 | 1,966,965 | 58.9 | 37,504 | 3,379,567 | 63.7 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 3 | Rejected | |
| No speculation on food | 1,287,786 | 40.1 | 1,925,937 | 59.9 | 122,455 | 3,336,178 | 62.9 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 5 | Rejected | |
| Gotthard road tunnel reconstruction | 1,883,859 | 57.0 | 1,420,390 | 43.0 | 61,319 | 3,365,568 | 63.5 | Accepted | |||||
| Source: Government of Switzerland 1, 2, 3, 4 | |||||||||||||
Five propositions were on the ballot for the 5 June 2016 referendum: [9]
All three popular initiatives were rejected, whilst the two legislative amendments were approved. The voters thus again followed the recommendations of the government.
The law establishes that all embryos conceived in a test tube can be examined using all the genetic techniques available, and then selected. In this way, embryos with Down syndrome (trisomy 21) can be destroyed before implantation. [13]
The new law provided free legal advice and representation for all asylum seekers, and speeding-up procedures for granting or refusing asylum. It also established new federal reception centers run by the federal government and staffed by federal officials where most asylum seekers would be accommodated. [14]
The discussion about basic income in Switzerland began in the 1980s, initially amongst academics such as sociologists who saw the potential to alleviate poverty better than the current system. But there was no major public debate in the 1980s nor the 1990s. In the early 2000s, however, things were slowly changing due to a spill-over from the German debate. Two basic income organizations were formed, "Initiative Grundeinkommen" and BIEN-Switzerland, and one ATTAC-group also became advocates. These organizations had some success, including some articles in national newspapers. [15] The petition calling for a referendum on basic income as a constitutional right was started in April 2012. After six months 42,000 people had signed, and by April 2013 there were approximately 70,000 signatures. [16] By October 2013 more than 130,000 citizens had signed, meaning a referendum on the issue had to be held. Publicity included a truck filled with eight million coins emptying the money in front of the Federal Palace in Bern. [17] Even though the initiative's official text submitted to the vote did not specify any level, the campaigners proposed 2,500 Swiss francs for adults (about US$1,650 at PPP in 2014) and 625 francs for children per month. [17] [18] [19]
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Basic income | 568,660 | 23.1 | 1,897,528 | 76.9 | 28,660 | 2,494,848 | 5,313,442 | 46.95 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected |
| For fair transport financing | 709,974 | 29.2 | 1,719,661 | 70.8 | 55,749 | 2,485,384 | 46.78 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| For public services | 784,303 | 32.4 | 1,637,707 | 67.6 | 62,997 | 2,485,007 | 46.77 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Amendments to the medically assisted reproduction law | 1,490,417 | 62.4 | 897,318 | 37.6 | 92,610 | 2,480,345 | 46.68 | Approved | |||||
| Amendments to the federal asylum law | 1,616,597 | 66.8 | 804,086 | 33.2 | 65,349 | 2,486,032 | 46.79 | Approved | |||||
| Source: Government of Switzerland 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | |||||||||||||
Three referendums were held on 25 September 2016; a popular initiative for a green economy (launched by the Green Party of Switzerland), a popular initiative concerning the retirement system and a referendum on the federal law on intelligence. [20] Both of the popular initiatives were rejected, whilst the federal intelligence law was approved.
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Green economy | 819,770 | 36.4 | 1,430,273 | 63.6 | 41,427 | 2,291,470 | 5,329,183 | 43.0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 6 | Rejected |
| Retirement system | 921,375 | 40.6 | 1,348,032 | 59.4 | 29,085 | 2,298,492 | 43.1 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Federal intelligence law | 1,459,068 | 65.5 | 768,065 | 34.5 | 61,416 | 2,288,549 | 42.9 | Approved | |||||
| Source: Government of Switzerland 1, 2, 3 | |||||||||||||
The 27 November referendum had only one question, a federal popular initiative "for the programmed phase-out of nuclear energy" (against nuclear power plants). [21] The initiative dated from 2012, about one year after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. It was rejected by voters. [22]
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Nuclear energy phase-out | 1,099,409 | 45.8 | 1,300,860 | 54.2 | 21,729 | 2,421,998 | 5,336,711 | 45.4 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 4 | Rejected |
| Source: Government of Switzerland | |||||||||||||
The government of Switzerland is a federal state with direct democracy.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Switzerland since 1 July 2022. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples passed the Swiss Parliament in December 2020. The law was challenged in a referendum on 26 September 2021 by opponents of same-sex marriage and was approved with the support of 64% of voters and a majority in all 26 cantons. The law went into force on 1 July 2022. A provision of the law permitting same-sex marriages performed abroad to be recognised in Switzerland took effect on 1 January 2022. Switzerland was the seventeenth country in Europe and the 30th in the world to allow same-sex couples to marry.
Voting in Switzerland is the process by which Swiss citizens make decisions about governance and elect officials. The history of voting rights in Switzerland mirrors the complexity of the nation itself. The polling stations are opened on Saturdays and Sunday mornings but most people vote by post in advance. At noon on Sunday, voting ends and the results are usually known during the afternoon.
Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union (EU). It is associated with the Union through a series of bilateral treaties in which Switzerland has adopted various provisions of European Union law in order to participate in the Union's single market, without joining as a member state. Among Switzerland's neighbouring countries, all but one are EU member states.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Switzerland are some of the most progressive by world standards. Social attitudes and the legal situation have liberalised at an increasing pace since the 1940s, in parallel to the situation in Europe and the Western world more generally. Legislation providing for same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and IVF access was accepted by 64% of voters in a referendum on 26 September 2021, and entered into force on 1 July 2022.
Nuclear power in Switzerland is generated by three nuclear power plants, with a total of four operational reactors (see list below). Since 1985, nuclear power has been contributing approximately 40% of Switzerland's electrical energy. In 2022, it produced 23 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, and accounted for 37% of the nation's gross electricity generation of 62 TWh, while 55% was produced by hydroelectric plants and 8% came from conventional thermal power stations and non-hydro renewable energy sources.
The Group for a Switzerland without an army, is a Swiss political advocacy group founded in 1982 by 120 activists in order to abolish the Swiss army. Its roster has varied considerably; as of 2009 its website stated that it consists of about 20,000 members or supporters, consisting largely of pacifists and anti-militarists.
Ten referendums were held in Switzerland during 2008. The first two were held on 24 February on business tax reform and aircraft noise. A further three were held on 1 June on public information campaigns, naturalisation and health reform. The final five were held on 30 November on legalising cannabis, making the pension age flexible, restricting the right of appeal of associations against construction projects, amending the constitutional article on narcotics and eliminating the statute of limitations with respect to pornographic crimes against children.
Six referendums were held in Switzerland during 2010; three in March on pension funds, animal protection and a constitutional amendment, one in September on unemployment benefits, and two in November on deporting foreign criminals and introducing a canton tax.
Eleven national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2013. Voters approved six proposals related to spatial planning, executive pay, family policy, amendments to the laws on asylum and epidemics and an increase in the length of petrol station shop opening hours. The other five proposals on directly electing the Federal Council, abolishing compulsory military service, limiting salaries in a company to 12 times the lowest paid worker, tax credits for stay-at-home parents and an increase in road tax were rejected.
Twelve national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2014.
In Switzerland, the federal popular initiative "against mass immigration" was a referendum that aimed to limit immigration through quotas, as it had been prior to the bilateral treaties between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) launched in 2002.
Six national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2015, the first of which were held on 8 March.
Non-citizen suffrage in Switzerland is an ongoing political issue in the country. Switzerland is a federal nation. As such, the cantons have extensive powers to enact their own legislation. For this reason, the rules regarding the rights of non-citizen residents to vote differ considerably throughout Switzerland.
Seven national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2017. Polling took place on 12 February, 21 May and 24 September, whilst no referendum was scheduled for the November date.
Ten national referendums were held in Switzerland in 2018. Voting took place on 4 March, 10 June, 23 September and 25 November.
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2020, with voting on 9 February, 27 September and 29 November. Voting was also planned for 17 May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal referendums were held in Switzerland on 13 February, 15 May and 25 September 2022. Swiss referendums take three forms: popular initiatives, which are citizen proposals to create a new law and require 100,000 valid signatures on a petition to get on the ballot; facultative or optional referendums, which are citizen proposals to approve or reject a piece of existing law and require 50,000 valid signatures on a petition to get on the ballot; and mandatory referendums, which are required to revise the constitution, join an international organization or introduce emergency federal legislation for over a year.
Several referendums will be held in Switzerland during 2024. National votes were held on 3 March, 9 June, and 22 September, and others are due to be held on 24 November.
The federal popular initiative, is a Swiss civic right enabling 100,000 citizens with voting rights to propose a total or partial amendment to the Federal Constitution and submit it to a popular vote. The citizens behind the initiative, grouped together in an initiative committee, have 18 months in which to gather the approval of 100,000 citizens. To do this, the 100,000 citizens must affix their handwritten signatures to a signature list, including the text and title of the popular initiative. If 100,000 signatures are collected within 18 months, the initiative is put to the vote. If this is not the case, the initiative is declared "unsuccessful" and the procedure is terminated. The right of initiative also has its counterpart at cantonal and communal level; the procedure, including the number of signatures required and the deadline for collecting them, varies from one sovereign Swiss canton to another.
