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 Switzerlandportal |
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2019, with votes taking place on 10 February and 19 May. Federal parliamentary elections were held on 20 October, which led the Swiss Federal Council to postpone the November round of voting until 2020. [1]
In February voters decided on a popular initiative named "Stop the Sprawl – for sustainable development in construction", which would have prevented building zones being expanded, with possible exception made for agriculture or public use on the basis that an equivalent amount of land currently registered as building zone be declassified and rewilded. [2]
The proposal was put forward by the Young Greens in 2015. [3] It was also supported by the Small Farmers Association and the Young Socialists, as well as several environmental organisations, and gathered 113,000 signatures. [2] However, it was opposed by the Federal Council, with Environment Minister Doris Leuthard claiming the idea was "too radical, unfair and counterproductive". [2] An opinion poll published in December 2018 showed 63% of voters to be in favour and 29% opposed. [4]
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Stop the Sprawl | 737,241 | 36.3 | 1,291,513 | 63.7 | 30,184 | 2,058,938 | 5,429,641 | 37.9 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected |
| Source: Federal Chancellery of Switzerland | |||||||||||||
Two optional referendums were held on 19 May: one on a law reforming the financing of the Swiss pension system's "first pillar", [5] and another on transposing the European gun control directive (an update to the Schengen acquis) into Swiss law. [6] Both proposals were approved.
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||||||||
| Reforming pension financing | 1,541,147 | 66.4 | 780,457 | 33.6 | 57,814 | 2,379,418 | 5,439,853 | 43.74 | Approved | ||||
| Gun control directive | 1,501,880 | 63.7 | 854,274 | 36.3 | 30,797 | 2,386,951 | 43.88 | Approved | |||||
| Source: Federal Chancellery of Switzerland [7] [8] | |||||||||||||
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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.
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The largest immigrant groups in Switzerland are those from Germany, Italy, France, the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Portugal and Turkey, including Turks and Kurds. Between them, these six groups account for about 1.5 million people, 60% of the Swiss population with immigrant background, or close to 20% of total Swiss population.
Twelve national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2012. On 11 March voters across the country were asked five questions on employment leave, second houses, building society savings, the Fixed Book Price Agreement and gambling revenues. On 17 June there were three questions on healthcare, foreign policy and home buying. On 23 September there were three on a smoking ban, secure housing in old age and music lessons at school. A final referendum was held on 25 November on the Animal Diseases Act.
Twelve national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2014.
The environmental movement in Switzerland is represented by a wide range of associations.
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.
The 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum was a facultative referendum held in Switzerland on 26 September 2021 about an amendment to the Civil Code to legalise marriage between people of the same sex, as well as adoption rights for same-sex couples and access to assisted reproductive technology for lesbian couples. The amendment was called "marriage for all" in Swiss public discourse.
The Political Rights Act (PRA) (German: Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte, BPR, French: Loi fédérale sur les droits politiques, LDP, Italian: Legge federale sui diritti politici, LDP), is a Swiss federal law that regulates the exercise of political rights (votations and elections) in Switzerland. The law was adopted on 17 December 1976 by the Federal Assembly and came into force on 1 July 1978.
The Federal Act on the Reduction of CO2 Emissions (CO2 Act) (German: CO2-Gesetz, French: Loi sur le CO2, Italian: Legge sul CO2), is a Swiss federal law that regulates carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate climate change.
Switzerland has tobacco legislation defined at federal and cantonal level. It covers protection of the population against passive smoking, restrictions on tobacco advertising, warnings on packaging and taxes.
The federal popular initiative "For the Expulsion of Criminal Foreigners," also known as the "expulsion initiative," is a Swiss popular initiative that was approved on November 28, 2010.
Old-age and survivors insurance- OASI constitutes one of the main social security schemes in Switzerland.
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.
