Further initiative for new federal constitution postponed
Published: Friday, Apr 26th 2024, 10:00
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The launch of another popular initiative to reform the Federal Constitution has been postponed. The citizens' movement behind it lacks promises of signatures and money. A first petition for a new constitution had already failed in October due to a lack of signatures.
The initiators lament a loss of trust in democracy, as the Foundation for Direct Democracy announced on Friday. Fears have emerged that achievements could be lost in the face of global pressure on democracy and polarization in Switzerland.
The initiative project was launched by Michel Huissoud from Geneva, former Director of the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO), and Daniel Graf, co-founder of the foundation.
They argue that the Federal Constitution, which underwent a total revision in 1999, is outdated. It needs to be "updated" to include digitalization. The collection of signatures should have started in June.
The initiators wanted to use crowdfunding to collect 60,000 pledges of signatures and 200,000 francs in start-up capital. According to them, however, they only received 60,000 signatures and 140,000 francs. The foundation is now going over the books and will present a report on the next steps in July, it added.
Another initiative for a new federal constitution failed in October due to a lack of signatures. Among other things, the initiators wanted the Federal Constitution to become overriding law, excluding international law. Within the 18-month deadline of October 19, not even 100 signatures were collected instead of the required 100,000.
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