“Switzerland for the ban of the burqa and against electronic identity” | Abroad

Campaign posters with the words “Stop Radical Islam!” and “Stop Extremism!”, featuring a woman in a black niqab, were posted in many cities. Opponents of the ban use the slogan “No to an absurd, unnecessary and Islamophobic ‘anti-burqa’ law”. The ban would mean that no one can fully cover their face in public places. There are exceptions, such as in places of worship.

A large majority also clearly opposed a special “electronic identity”. The government wants to create a legal framework to give the Swiss an “e-ID” which would facilitate many administrative or financial questions via the Internet. According to the federal government, the country is far behind other European countries in this area. But in the referendum, most turned against the bill, fearing the Swiss government would turn against private internet companies and pose dangers to both citizens and the state.

There is also a national vote on a free trade agreement with Indonesia. At the local level, all kinds of administrative questions are dealt with in numerous referendums by the “Stimmvolk”. In Zurich, for example, the voter has to agree to the construction of a park to cover a stretch of motorway in a project that turns out to be much more expensive than expected. Poor residents of the canton of Geneva can count on increased financial assistance thanks to a referendum on Sunday. In St. Moritz, a proposal to give all foreigners the right to vote was rejected. There are also local or cantonal elections in some places. Swiss referendums are usually held on Sunday mornings and polling stations close at noon. But the Swiss can also vote by mail or e-mail the week before.