Tue, Nov 21st 2023
The Federal Council and Parliament will hold a debate on future compulsory service. According to the Federal Chancellery, the so-called service citizen initiative has been successful.
Whether it’s forest maintenance, the army or civilian service: every young person in Switzerland should do something for the community and the environment. This is what the initiative “For a committed Switzerland (Service-citoyen initiative)” demands.
Just under a month ago, the initiative committee submitted 107,871 signatures in Bern. Of these, 107,613 are valid, the Federal Chancellery announced on Tuesday.
The Federal Council now has 12 months to prepare a dispatch. In the dispatch, it asks Parliament to recommend that the people accept or reject the initiative. If the Federal Council wishes to submit a direct counter-proposal or an indirect counter-proposal to the initiative, it has 18 months to prepare the dispatch.
With the referendum, the initiators want to amend Article 59 of the constitution, which regulates military and alternative service. According to the initiators, all citizens should perform a service for the common good and the environment. This refers to service in the army or equivalent militia service. The required number of soldiers in the army and civil defense must remain guaranteed.
As internationalization progresses, there are more and more people who traditionally participate little in the militia system and are excluded from local government offices, the initiative is justified.
Today, young Swiss men are obliged to serve in the army, civilian service or civil defense. According to the Sotomo generation barometer, 74% of the population are in favor of a Service Citoyen for all, write the initiators.
The Servicecitoyen.ch association was founded in Geneva in 2013. Its partners for the initiative include the GLP, EPP and Pirate Party as well as the Young GLP, the Young Center, the Young EPP, the Center Party Geneva, the FDP Geneva, the FDP Neuchâtel and the democracy platform Wecollect.
©Keystone/SDA
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