2012 Swiss referendums

Last updated

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.

Contents

Background

Swiss law says that any issue can be put to a referendum if it attains 100,000 signatures to do so. [1] The rules further state that for a measure to be nationally adopted into the constitution it has to get a majority of both votes and the number cantons that support the issue. [2]

March referendums

The five topics of the March referendum were: [3]

  1. the federal popular initiative "six weeks of vacation for everyone;"
  2. the federal popular initiative "an end to the limitless construction of second homes" with a quota of twenty percent per commune (Franz Weber initiative); [2]
  3. the federal popular initiative "for tax-supported building society savings to buy living space for self-use and to finance energy saving and environmental measures;"
  4. a vote on the re-introduction [2] of the Fixed Book Price Agreement; and
  5. a vote on enshrining in the constitution that state earnings from gambling have to be used for the public interest.

Sub-national referendum topics included: [1]

  1. A proposal in Zurich to set up "sex boxes" for prostitution with special parking spaces;
  2. A proposal in Geneva to tighten restrictions on unsanctioned protests and to toughen fines for violations.

Campaign and history

The issues behind each national measure were: [2]

  1. The measure was approved after Travaille Suisse got the signatures for it to be voted put to a referendum. The Swiss Employers' Association (SBA) and Economiesuisse opposed the holiday proposal on the grounds that it would not be cost effective and could lead to Switzerland losing its stature as a business destination with the consequent relocation of big business to other countries such Germany. [4] Travaille Suisse said that increased stress in the workplace was justification enough for longer holidays than the currently mandates four weeks a year (though some industrial sectors voluntarily increase holiday leave).
  2. The measure was brought by an environmental organisation[ which? ] amid concern that a recent construction in mountain resorts have led to natural resources wastage and inflated property prices to the detriment of locals (about 500,000 second homes in the country are 12% of total housing). The general "business community" and tourism industry opposed the proposal citing claims of a breach to local and canton autonomy under the country's federalist system. The national government also opposed the measure saying that reforms to the zoning laws since July 2011 could more effectively police overbuilding.
  3. Proponents of the measure suggested cantons should have the authority to grant incentives to raise what has traditionally been a low home ownership rate.
  4. The measure, which could affect about 500 publishers who produce 10,000 books a year, did not require a canton majority. Previously the re-sale price maintenance regulations were revoked in French Switzerland in the early 1990s and in 2007 in German Switzerland.
  5. The measure was practically unopposed and did not stir any public discussion, as it merely elevates to constitutional status what has already been in force according to ordinary laws and concordats. Campaigning for or against it did not take place. [5]

The issues behind each sub-national measure were: [1]

  1. Zurich's measure was introduced to keep prostitution away from suburban areas.
  2. The Geneva measure was said to be pertinent as the city is host to variety of supranational organisations such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which protesters mostly tend to target.

Results

QuestionForAgainstInvalid/
blank		Total
votes		Registered
voters		TurnoutCantons forCantons againstResult
Votes%Votes%FullHalfFullHalf
Fixed book price agreement 966,63343.921,234,22256.08104,3842,305,2395,139,05544.86Rejected
Gambling revenues1,916,18287.09284,10812.91100,2782,300,5685,139,05544.7720600Accepted
Six weeks of vacation771,71733.501,531,98666.5030,3022,334,0055,139,05545.4200206Rejected
Building society savings980,27344.191,237,82555.8193,8252,311,9235,139,05544.9941165Rejected
Second homes1,152,59850.631,123,80249.3745,5512,321,9515,139,05545.1812383Accepted
Source: Direct Democracy

Results by sub-national issue were: [1]

  1. Zurich: "sex boxes" – Approved.
  2. Geneva: "protest restrictions and increased fines" – Approved.

Reactions

After the vote results were tallied and the results released, the SBA reacted to the rejection of the holiday measure saying that it was in realisation of "something which sounds nice at first, brings many disadvantages on closer look." However, though labour unions were disappointed with the result, [1] the president of Travaile.Suisse, Martin Fluegel, said that he was still "proud to have raised the theme of overwork." [4]

June referendums

The three June referendums asked voters questions on healthcare, foreign policy and assistance with purchasing homes.

All three were rejected by voters.

Results

QuestionForAgainstInvalid/
blank		Total
votes		Registered
voters		TurnoutCantons forCantons againstResult
Votes%Votes%FullHalfFullHalf
Foreign treaties480,17324.721,462,65975.2840,8721,983,7045,149,08638.5300206Rejected
Managed care law466,99323.951,482,53676.0540,7031,990,23238.65Rejected
Savings assistance601,44931.091,332,83968.9149,7501,984,03838.5300206Rejected
Source: Direct Democracy

September referendums

Three referendums were held on 23 September on a smoking ban, secure housing in old age, and music in schools. [8]

Results

QuestionForAgainstInvalid/
blank		Total
votes		Registered
voters		TurnoutCantons forCantons againstResult
Votes%Votes%FullHalfFullHalf
Smoking ban741,20534.011,437,98565.9930,2052,209,3955,160,81142.8110196Rejected
Secure housing1,014,01647.391,125,49552.6155,2162,194,72742.5391115Rejected
Music lessons1,552,04572.69583,23127.3153,4822,188,75842.4120600Accepted
Source: Direct Democracy

November referendum

The final referendum of the year was held on 25 November on the Swiss Animal Diseases Act, [9] and was approved by 68% of voters.

ChoiceVotes%
For946,22068.3
Against439,48431.7
Invalid/blank votes40,126–
Total1,425,830100
Registered voters/turnout5,166,73227.6
Source: Bundeskanzler

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Switzerland</span> Country in Central Europe

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura; the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, whereas most of the country's population of 9 million are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts its largest cities and economic centres, including Zürich, Geneva, and Basel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Democratic Party of Switzerland</span> Political party in Switzerland

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, or Swiss Socialist Party, is a political party in Switzerland. The SP has had two representatives on the Federal Council since 1960 and received the second-highest number of votes in the 2019 Swiss federal election.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Switzerland–European Union relations</span> Bilateral relations

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Switzerland</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Switzerland are 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Swiss minaret referendum</span> Successful popular initiative in Switzerland

The federal popular initiative "against the construction of minarets" was a successful popular initiative in Switzerland to prevent the construction of minarets on mosques. In a November 2009 referendum, a constitutional amendment banning the construction of new minarets was approved by 57.5% of the participating voters. Only three of the twenty Swiss cantons and one half canton, mostly in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, opposed the initiative.

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.

Eight referendums were held in Switzerland during 2009. The first was held on 8 February on extending the freedom of movement for workers from Bulgaria and Romania. The next two were held on 17 May 2009 on introducing biometric passports and the "Future with complementary medicine" proposal. A further two were held on 27 September on increasing VAT and the introduction of public initiatives. The final three were held on 29 November on banning the construction of new minarets, exporting weapons and the use of aviation fuel taxation.

Women in Switzerland gained the right to vote in federal elections after a referendum in February 1971. The first federal vote in which women were able to participate was the 31 October 1971 election of the Federal Assembly. However it was not until a 1990 decision by the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland that women gained full voting rights in the final Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden.

The Swiss gene-protection initiative of 1998, also known as the Gene-Protection Initiative was a Swiss federal popular initiative that aimed to ban the patenting of transgenic organisms and all scientific research using transgenic animals. It was rejected in a constitutional referendum in 1998.

Five referendums were held in Switzerland during 1929. The first three were held on 3 March on the issues of grain supply and a federal law on tariffs. The counter-proposal to the grain supply question and the tariffs law were both approved. The fourth and fifth referendums were held on 12 May on popular initiatives on road traffic and banning spirits. Both were rejected by voters.

Six referendums were held in Switzerland during 1938. The first four were held on 20 February; the first on amending articles 107 and 116 of the constitution to make Romansch an official language, which was approved by over 90% of voters and all cantons. The second was on a popular initiative "on urgent federal resolutions and the protection of people's rights" and was rejected by 85% of voters. The third was on a popular initiative on the private arms industry, and was also rejected by a wide margin, whilst the fourth was on a counter-proposal to the arms industry question, and was approved by voters. The fifth referendum was held on 3 July on the penal code, and was approved. The sixth and final referendum of the year was held on 27 November on a federal resolution on the transient order of the federal budget, and was approved by 72% of voters.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-citizen suffrage in Switzerland</span> Voting rights of foreigners in Switzerland

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.

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 7 March, 13 June, 26 September, and 28 November 2021. 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 organisation or introduce emergency federal legislation for over a year.

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 approved by the people and the cantons on November 28, 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Longer Annual Leave For Workers Voted Down in Swiss Referendum". Rttnews.com. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Swiss vote on longer holidays and limits to holiday homes – swissinfo". Swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "Stimmbürger befinden über mehr Ferien und fixe Buchpreise (Politik, Schweiz, NZZ Online)" (in German). Nzz.ch. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Swiss vote to reject longer holidays – Europe". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "Deutliches Ja zu neuem Geldspiel-Artikel", Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German), 12 March 2012
  6. 1 2 Swiss voters reject more direct democracy Reuters, 17 June 2012
  7. ↑ Swiss cantons reject treaty referendums, homebuyer help, managed care Archived 25 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Geneva Lunch, 17 June 2012
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Smoking ban, imputed rental value and music lessons Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Swiss Review
  9. ↑ Summary Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Swiss Animal Diseases Act No
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.