Geneva considers more voting rights for foreigners

The government of the canton of Geneva is considering extending voting rights to some of the canton’s large population of foreign residents, according to Tribune de Genève.

41% of the canton’s population are not Swiss.

The plan, supported by a majority of a commission (8 votes to 5 with 1 abstention) looking at the idea, would allow foreign residents who have lived in the canton for 8 years or more to vote at both cantonal and communal levels.

Commission members belonging to political parties on the left support the idea, while those on the right and most of those in the middle are opposed to it.

The proposal will be discussed by the canton’s parliament on 27 or 28 February 2020.

Ultimately, it will be the canton’s citizens who will decide. The proposal would requires changes to the constitution, something that can only done via a popular vote.

More on this:
Tribune de Genève article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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