Commission wants political rights for all people with disabilities
Published: Friday, Oct 25th 2024, 17:30
Retour au fil d'actualité
The Federal Constitution excludes people who are incapacitated due to "mental illness or mental deficiency" from political rights. The National Council committee responsible wants to delete this provision. All Swiss citizens aged 18 and over should have the right to vote.
The decision in favor of the committee motion "Political rights for people with disabilities" was made with a tie vote of 12 to 12 with a casting vote by President Greta Gysin (Greens/TI), as announced by the parliamentary services on Friday. With this decision, the Political Institutions Committee (SPK-N) also approved the petition "Autonomous and unhindered voting rights" from the 2023 session for people with disabilities.
With the motion, the SPK-N instructs the Federal Council to delete the passage in the Federal Constitution according to which political rights in federal matters are only granted to those "who are not incapacitated due to mental illness or mental deficiency" (Article 136, paragraph 1).
The majority of the Commission considers it problematic to systematically deprive people with disabilities of their political rights. Comprehensive assistance does not necessarily mean that people are unable to form their own opinion.
No other population group is subject to such a restriction or has to undergo a "test" of its ability to participate in politics. Furthermore, the majority of the Commission is of the opinion that the wording of the constitutional article is no longer compatible with the contemporary and socially widespread understanding of disabilities or mental illness.
The Commission motion must be approved by the National Council and the Council of States. The Federal Council would then draw up a bill, which would have to be adopted by Parliament. As with any constitutional amendment, the people and the cantons would have the final say.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic