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Swiss vote results on affordable home quota and discrimination – 9 February 2020

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The vote on an affordable housing quota was rejected by 57.1% of voters. The participation rate was 41%. Only five cantons had majorities in favour of the plan: Basel-City (60.2% in favour), Geneva (60.1%), Vaud (53.2%), Jura (53.2%) and Neuchâtel (56.2%). The other 21 Swiss cantons had majorities against the plan.

Swiss vote results on affordable home quota and discrimination – 9 February 2020
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The government’s plan to extend the existing legal ban on racism and religious discrimination to discrimination based on sexual orientation was accepted by popular vote. 63.1% voted in favour of the change. Only three cantons had majorities against the plan: Uri (51.1% in favour), Schwyz (51.7%) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (54.1%).

More on this:
Voting results by canton – affordable housing (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
Voting results by canton – discrimination (in French)

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Swiss to vote on banning discrimination based on sexual orientation – 9 Feb 2020

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The government decided to extend the existing legal ban on racism and religious discrimination to discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Swiss to vote on banning discrimination based on sexual orientation – 9 Feb 2020
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Some, who see this as limit to free expression and a form of censorship, launched a referendum to stop the government’s plan. In addition, they argue hate crimes are already punishable under the law.

If implemented the change would ban actions in public involving discrimination based on sexual orientation that violate human dignity and create a climate of hate that compromises peaceful coexistence. For example, no individual or business would be allowed to refuse services to someone on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Anyone breaking these rules would face the same criminal charges as someone engaging in public racism or religious discrimination. However, the rules would not apply to conversations among family or friends.

The Federal Council, parliament and Council of States all support the initiative and the legal changes it endorses. 121 members of the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, are in favour of it and 67 are against it. There were 8 abstentions. 30 members of the Council of States are in favour of it, 12 against it, with 1 abstention.

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Government vote explanation (in French) â€“ Take a 5 minute French test now

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Swiss to vote on affordable housing quota – 9 Feb 2020

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Economic and population growth have increased demand for housing in Switzerland. The period leading up to 2015 saw a fall in the number of available homes in urban areas in Switzerland. Rental prices continued to rise beyond 2015 into 2016.

Swiss to vote on more affordable housing – 9 Feb 2020
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The initiative aims to impose a rule requiring 10% of new homes to be controlled by the government so that they can be offered as social housing. In addition, it would stop subsidies for environmental upgrades where the upgrades result in rent hikes.

The initiators argue social housing quotas are the only effective means of ensuring there is enough social housing to meet demand.

The government says that it already supports social housing via government funding. Since 2003, these funds have allowed the construction and renovation of 1,500 moderately priced rental homes annually, it said.

Some point to unintended negative consequences, such as the disincentive it will create to build new homes and the negative impact it could have on Swiss pension funds, which have invested heavily in local real estate.

The Federal Council, parliament and Council of States all reject the initiative. 140 members of the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, are against it and 56 are in favour of it. There were zero abstentions. 30 members of the Council of States are against it, 13 for it, with 1 abstention.

If the initiative is rejected by voters the government will lend a further CHF 250 million to the fund that finances social housing. It predicts this measure will keep social housing at around 4% of the total.

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Government vote explanation (in French) â€“ Take a 5 minute French test now

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Swiss federal election results 2019 – winners and losers

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On 20 October 2019, Swiss voters chose members of the 200-member National Council (parliament) and 46-member Council of States (upper house).

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Parties winning the greatest number of seats in the National Council were the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) – 53 seats (-12), the Swiss Socialists Party (PS/SP) – 39 seats (-4) , the Liberal Radical Party (PLR/FDP) – 29 seats (-4), the Green Party – 28 seats (+17), the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PDC/CVP) – 25 seats (-3) and the Liberal Green Party – 16 seats (+9), according to RTS.

The biggest gainers compared to the previous election in 2015 were the Green Party (+17) and the Liberal Green Party (+9). The parties losing the most ground were the Swiss People’s Party (-12), the Swiss Socialist Party (-4), the Liberal Radical Party (PLR/FDP) (-4) and the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PDC/CVP) (-3). While the Mouvement citoyens genevois (MCG) lost the one seat it had leaving it unrepresented in the federal parliament.

The most significant shift was the Green Party moving into fourth place leapfrogging the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PDC/CVP). This matters because the Federal Council, Switzerland’s 7-member executive, has traditionally drawn members from the main parties, a convention known as the magic formula. Currently there is one Federal Council members from the PDC, a party now in fifth place, and none from the Green Party, now in fourth place.

The percentage of women in the National Council rose from 32% (64 seats) to 42% (84 seats). This is well ahead of the percentages in the UK (32%) and the US (23%). The world average in 2018 was 24%, according to World Bank data.

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RTS article (in French) â€“ Take a 5 minute French test now

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More than 1,000 elected officials in Switzerland paid by employers for political work

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Most elected officials in Switzerland have full-time jobs outside politics and undertake their political work on a part time basis.

More than 1,000 elected officials in Switzerland paid for political work
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According to research by RTS, more than 1,000 people across all levels of government (federal, cantonal and communal) get some sort of financial help from their employer, typically in the form of paid leave, to help them balance their work and political careers.

The industries employing the largest numbers of politicians and elected officials are banking, insurance and pharmaceuticals.

Big banks and insurance companies lead the way. Credit Suisse, Zurich, Swiss Life, AXA and La Mobilière offer paid leave for public office activities equivalent to 20% of work time, according to RTS. This works out at 45 days a year. Others such as Zürcher Kantonalbank (22 days), Swiss Re (20 days), Suva (15 days) and Helsana (15 days) offer paid leave too. Other big banks such as UBS, Raiffeisen and the BCV didn’t provide figures.

Across government, UBS and Credit Suisse are the best represented, with around 300 employees each holding a public mandate, according to RTS. For Credit Suisse, which offers one day per week, the annual cost of this financial support could be as high as CHF 7 million.

At a federal level there are 10 members of parliament who work for one of these big companies offering paid leave. Some, but not all, have recorded the name of their employer in the parliamentary register of interests, wrote RTS.

With new rules coming into force soon, following updates to Switzerland’s parliamentary laws, more transparency will be required.

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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Swiss federal elections – test your knowledge

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Switzerland holds federal elections every four years. The last was on 18 October 2015 and the next is on Sunday 20 October 2019.

Swiss federal elections - test your knowledge
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Answers are shown below in italics at the bottom of the page.

1. How many people have a right to vote in Switzerland?

2. Which party held the largest share of parliamentary seats in 1995?

3. Which party held the largest share of parliamentary seats in 2015?

4. Which party had the highest percentage of female candidates in 2015?

5. Which party had the lowest percentage of female candidates in 2015?

6. What is largest number of women simultaneously on the 7-member Federal Council?

7. Which party held the largest number of parliamentary seats after the 2015 election?

8. Which canton was the first to give women the vote?

9. Which elected members out of the UDC (SVP), PLR (FDP) and PS (SP) had the youngest average age in 2015?

Some of these questions were selected from those presented by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office.

The following links provide data on past federal elections.

Vote percentages by party by canton in 2011 and 2015.

Voter participation by canton in 2011 and 2015.

More on this:
Federal Statistical Office quiz (in French)  â€“ Take a 5 minute French test now

Answers: 5,440,007 registered voters (at 19.05.2019); Swiss Socialist Party (27.0%); The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) 32.5%; The Green Party – 50.6% women; The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) 18.9% women ; Between 2010 and 2011 there were 4 women on the Federal Council; Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) which held 65 seats; In February 1959 Vaud was the first Swiss canton to give women the vote at a cantonal level; The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) with and average age of 49.

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The cost of democracy – what Switzerland spends on its federal government

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The cost of Switzerland’s federal government, including elections and referenda, comes to CHF 233 million annually, according to a calculation by RTS.

The cost of democracy - what Switzerland spends on federal government
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This figure can be broken down into CHF 106 million to run the Federal Assembly, made up of the 200-seat National Council (parliament) and the 46-seat Council of States (upper house), CHF 17 million to run the 7-member Federal Council (executive), CHF 56 million to run the Federal Chancellery and CHF 54 million to run elections and referenda.

Dividing the CHF 233 million total by Switzerland’s 5.4 million registered voters comes out at 43 francs per voter per year.

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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Referendum to ban tobacco advertising in Switzerland reaches 100,000 signatures

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An initiative demanding a ban on tobacco advertising has collected 109,969 valid signatures, more than the 100,000 minimum required to launch a popular vote, according to RTS.

Referendum to ban tobacco advertising in Switzerland reaches 100,000 signatures

The planned vote entitled: “Yes to the protection of children and young people against tobacco advertising” demands the federal government ban all forms of tobacco advertising towards children and young people.

In practice such a ban would include banning all tobacco advertising in public places, in cinemas, at festivals and on the internet.

57% of smokers start when they are children, according to the Swiss Medical Federation, which supports the initiative. If children don’t start smoking when they are young they are unlikely to smoke as adults.

In addition, tobacco use costs Switzerland 5 billion francs a year – CHF 3 billion in direct medical costs and CHF 2 billion in costs associated with disability and early death.

More on this:
Initiative website (in French)
RTS article (in French) â€“ Take a 5 minute French test now

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Voters in Bern narrowly reject proposed welfare cuts

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A referendum aimed at cutting welfare expenses in the canton of Bern was narrowly rejected by 52.6% of voters on Sunday.

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The initiative, supported by a majority of the canton’s parliament aimed to reduce the canton’s welfare spending, which has risen 54% over the last 10 years despite a decline in the number receiving it.

Over the last 10 years the number of welfare recipients in the canton fell from 48,800 to 46,500, while welfare spending rose from CHF 303 million to CHF 469 million, a cost shared equally between municipalities and the canton.

The initiative planned to cut welfare payments by an average of 8%, rising as high as 30% for those failing to study, job hunt or improve their language proficiency.

Supporters think spending has risen partly because life on welfare is too comfortable. They saw the cuts as a way to encourage people back into the workforce.

Those against the plan cited examples of people struggling to get by on current payments.

Other cantons were watching the vote. It is the first time a referendum has been used in an attempt to contain welfare spending. According to RTS, the cantons of Aargau and Basel-Landschaft are considering cuts to their basic welfare payments.

Basic monthly welfare payments in Bern are CHF 977. The initiative planned to cut them to CHF 907. The CHF 977 payment is designed to cover the basic costs of living excluding rent and health insurance. It breaks down into CHF 355 for food, CHF 84 for clothing, CHF 41 for energy, CHF 55 for transport, CHF 171 for telecommunications, CHF 145 for sport and leisure and CHF 125 other things.

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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Swiss vote results on gun laws and tax and pension reform – 19 May 2019

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Today, Swiss voters voted on changes to gun laws and tax and pension reform initiatives.

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Both the votes on gun laws and tax and pension reform were accepted by 63.7% and 66.4% of voters respectively.

Majorities in all cantons voted for the tax and pension reform initiative.

Only in Ticino did a majority of voters reject the government’s changes to gun laws – 54.5% were against and 45.5% in favour. Majorities in all other cantons voted in favour of these changes.

Despite the success of the tax and pension vote, some called for continued focus on addressing the financial challenges faced by Switzerland’s state pension system.

More on this:
Voting results by canton – gun laws (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
Voting results by canton – tax and pension reform (in French)

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