Participation of Valais councillors in campaign meets with criticism
Published: Wednesday, Feb 7th 2024, 13:10
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The involvement of two Valais councillors in the referendum campaign on the revision of the cantonal constitution is causing displeasure. Four citizens have lodged a complaint with the Grand Council.
They are of the opinion that this interference "violates constitutional and legal provisions". "We object to the intervention of the Upper Valais councillors Roberto Schmidt and Franz Ruppen in the campaign, although the State Council had decided collegially not to interfere," Alain Schönbett, one of the signatories of the complaint, told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. He confirmed a report in the newspaper "Le Nouvelliste".
The four complainants - the three constitutional councillors Nicolas Mettan (center), Jean-Marc Dupont (SP and Gauche citoyenne), Alain Schönbett (Valeurs libérales-radicales) and Grand Councillor Brigitte Wolf of the Greens - are of the opinion that the State Council is not adhering to the rules it has issued itself.
The Council of State had decided neither to make a recommendation on the project nor to intervene in the campaign, as it was "a project of the Constituent Assembly, which worked completely independently". Within this framework, the executive had also produced a neutral brochure in which neither supporters nor opponents were invited to present their arguments.
The complaint concludes that without "corrective measures", the vote on the constitutional amendment "will inevitably be distorted and must be annulled". The complaint must be dealt with by the plenary session of the Grand Council. The cantonal parliament is not expected to deal with it until after the vote on March 3.
©Keystone/SDA
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