Are we more foolish than the people of Appenzell?
Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- FDP lawmaker Alexandre de Senarclens argues that the Swiss People's Party is seeking a mandatory referendum requiring approval by both voters and cantons for Bilateral Agreements III with the European Union.
- He suggests the party's insistence reflects fear of losing a popular vote more than constitutional principle.
- The dispute has raised concerns in French-speaking cantons about whether voters should face different referendum requirements.
Am I less intelligent than someone from Appenzell? Or less Swiss, or too frivolous to decide certain questions put to the people in a referendum? That is what voters in Geneva or Vaud might wonder when they see the Swiss People's Party's persistence in demanding a double majority for Bilateral Agreements III with the European Union.
Under the Swiss Constitution, a mandatory referendum applies when the country votes on joining collective security organizations or supranational organizations. A proposal involving the agreements with the EU would instead require a simple popular majority under the optional referendum system, the article says.
FDP lawmaker Alexandre de Senarclens argues that the party's campaign is driven less by constitutional considerations than by its fear of losing at the ballot box. In his view, requiring approval from both the people and the cantons would make adoption more difficult.
The argument is also framed as a dispute over political equality between Switzerland's regions. The insistence on a double majority can leave voters in Geneva and Vaud asking why they should be treated as less capable of deciding the issue than voters elsewhere. The article responds to former Vaud SVP president Kevin Grangier in an explicitly political exchange over the referendum route for the EU agreements.
Am I more foolish than someone from Appenzell? Or am I less Swiss, or too frivolous to decide certain questions put to the people in a referendum?
Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.