Six national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2015, the first of which were held on 8 March. [1]
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Six national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2015, the first of which were held on 8 March. [1]
Two referendums were held on 8 March. [2] The family initiative proposal proposed that child and education allowances should be exempt from income tax, [2] whilst second initiative called for the introduction of a tax on non-renewable energy, [2] with the higher cost of energy consumption compensated by the abolition of VAT. [2] The family initiative was initiated by the Christian Democratic People's Party and the energy initiative was initiated by the Green Liberal Party. [3] The Swiss government recommended the rejection of both initiatives, [2] and both were rejected by voters.
The failed energy initiative received worst vote result for an initiative since 1929. [3]
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Family initiative | 537,795 | 24.6 | 1,650,109 | 75.4 | 22,987 | 2,210,891 | 5,254,965 | 42.07 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected |
| Non-renewable energy tax | 175,405 | 8.0 | 2,010,326 | 92.0 | 24,390 | 2,210,121 | 41.06 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Source: Government of Switzerland | |||||||||||||
Four referendums were held on 14 June 2015, covering a constitutional amendment regarding reproductive medicine and human gene technology, popular initiatives on scholarships and inheritance tax and a modification of the federal law on radio and television reducing the annual licence fee from 462 to 400 Francs. [4]
| Question | For | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Cantons for | Cantons against | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Full | Half | Full | Half | ||||||
| Reproductive medicine/gene technology | 1,377,613 | 61.9 | 846,865 | 38.1 | 66,515 | 2,290,993 | 5,265,120 | 43.5 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Accepted |
| Scholarships | 610,284 | 27.5 | 1,611,911 | 72.5 | 65,360 | 2,287,555 | 43.4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Inheritance tax | 657,851 | 29.0 | 1,613,982 | 71.0 | 29,487 | 2,301,320 | 43.7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | Rejected | |
| Federal law on radio and television | 1,128,522 | 50.1 | 1,124,873 | 49.9 | 44,568 | 2,297,963 | 43.6 | Accepted | |||||
| Source: Government of Switzerland 1, 2, 3, 4 | |||||||||||||
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.
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