Rightwing People's Party Suffers Defeat in Citizenship Vote

Voters have rejected a proposal by the rightwing Swiss People's Party to reinstate the use of the ballot box to decide on naturalisation applications.

The electorate also turned down plans for a health reform and proposed restrictions on the government's information policy.

More than 63 per cent of voters and all but one of the country's 26 cantons on Sunday came out against the initiative, which also wanted to deny the right of appeal to rejected citizenship candidates.

Regions in the French-speaking part of Switzerland were particularly in opposition, with up to 80 per cent of no-votes.

Five years ago the Federal Court outlawed the ballot box as a way of dealing with citizenship requests. It followed a series of allegedly discriminatory decisions by local voters in central Switzerland, particularly against people of Balkan origin.

But the People's Party argued that it was up to local communities to decide on their citizenship procedures - whether public assembly, special panel or secret vote at the ballot box.

It said that current policy had led to a wave of naturalisations, including foreign criminals. Its campaign featured a controversial poster showing hands grabbing Swiss passports.

Discrimination

However, opponents, including the government, three of the four main political parties, as well as legal experts, said that reinstating the banned citizenship procedure would be discriminatory.

Switzerland, which has around 21 per cent foreigners, is widely held to have one of the toughest naturalisation processes in Europe, with people needing to wait 12 years before being eligible to apply.

Candidates in European Union countries have to wait between four and ten years.

In 2004 the Swiss rejected simplified naturalisation procedures for second- and third-generation foreigners.

Health reform

The People's Party was also defeated in two other nationwide votes on Sunday.

The electorate rejected plans for a reform of the health system aimed at strengthening the role of the insurance sector and curbing health expenditure.

The proposal was approved by the government and parliament, but only two of the four main parties, including the People's Party, campaigned for the reform.

Opponents, including doctors and patients organisations as well as the cantonal authorities, warned that the move would increase costs for patients and end unrestricted access to doctors.

Switzerland is known for its high quality of its health system, but it is also among the most expensive in the world.

The third ballot saw three out of four voters come out against a plan to limit the federal authorities' information policy ahead of nationwide ballots.

The proposal, by a conservative group and supported by the People's Party, came in response to what was considered excessive "government propaganda" over foreign policy, including United Nations membership and relations with the EU over the past 15 years.

swissinfo, Urs Geiser