People view highway expansion and tenancy law differently than authorities
Published: Sunday, Nov 24th 2024, 20:50
العودة إلى البث المباشر
Swiss voters take a different view of the issues of highway expansion and tenancy law than the Federal Council and parliament. On Sunday, they rejected the bill for highway construction projects as well as new rules for subletting and owner-occupation. Only the new healthcare financing was approved.
Voters rejected the six highway expansion projects approved by the Federal Council and parliament with 52.7 percent against. This means, for example, that the A1 highway between Bern-Wankdorf and Schönbühl BE will not be widened to eight lanes.
Money demanded for climate protection
A left-wing-green alliance, which had launched a referendum against the federal decree of the Federal Assembly, prevailed. Following the rejection, they demanded that the money freed up should now be used for public transport, cycle paths and climate protection.
There was also a double no to the tenancy law proposals drafted by parliament against the will of the Federal Council. The tenants' association spoke of a "slap in the face for the real estate lobby". With 53.8 percent of the votes, the proposals to make it easier for landlords to register their own requirements were rejected.
And with 51.6%, voters said no to stricter rules on subletting residential and commercial premises. While the No to this bill soon became apparent, the outcome for the new provisions on subletting was open for a long time. It was only towards the end of the count that the No vote was clear.
Western Switzerland outvoted
On the other hand, the uniform financing key for all services co-paid by basic insurance, the most complex proposal of the weekend, was approved. 53.3 percent said yes to the bill, which was opposed by the trade unions and the SP, and supporters expect that a system error will now be corrected. From 2028, health insurance companies will have to cover a good three quarters of the costs of all treatments and the cantons just under a quarter.
However, the divide along the language border was deep: in French-speaking Switzerland, the bill was rejected by a clear majority. French-speaking Switzerland, however, was simply outvoted by the German-speaking parts of the country. Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider spoke of an important reform step.
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish