Canton of Geneva votes in favor of strengthening democratic rights
Published: Sunday, Mar 3rd 2024, 16:01
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The canton of Geneva wants to facilitate access to democratic rights. The number of signatures required for initiatives and referendums will be reduced. In addition, vehicles will in future be taxed according to their environmental impact.
The constitutional law to reduce the number of signatures was approved by 63.2 percent of voters, as announced by the State Chancellery on Sunday. It originated from the SVP and was supported by the MCG and the left.
The amendment reduces the percentages for constitutional initiatives from 3 to 2 percent and for legislative initiatives and optional referendums from 2 to 1.5 percent of the electorate.
The second constitutional amendment, which aims to suspend the deadline for collecting signatures for referendums during the Easter vacations, was adopted even more clearly with 83.6% in favor. This amendment was supported by all parties.
The turnout was around 52.5 percent.
The Geneva electorate also rejected an SVP initiative to reduce motor vehicle taxes with 51.6% of the vote. The counter-proposal, on the other hand, was accepted with 56.7 percent of the vote. This provides for a tax based on CO2 emissions to encourage the purchase of more environmentally friendly vehicles.
Anthem included in the constitution
The voters also decided to include the song "Cé qu'è lainô" as the official anthem in the cantonal constitution. This constitutional amendment was subject to a mandatory referendum and was approved by almost 61.8% of voters.
The hitherto unofficial hymn of Geneva, "Cé qu'è lainô", is a song written in Franco-Provençal (Patois) with 68 verses. It tells the story of the Escalade, the attempted conquest of Geneva by the Savoys on December 12, 1602.
The song is sung at ceremonies to commemorate the Escalade, at the swearing-in of the State Council and in police schools, and is proudly sung before every home game of the Servette-Geneva football club and the Geneva-Servette ice hockey club.
Led by the SVP, the right wanted to enshrine the "Cé qu'è lainô" in the constitution in order to preserve it in its original form for posterity.
Proportion of rented apartments should not fall
Finally, in the new Praille-Acacias-Vernets district of Geneva, the proportion of owner-occupied apartments is not to be increased. The voters clearly said no to the two laws proposed by the new right-wing parliamentary majority.
The left-wing party had launched a referendum against the bills. The law to increase the minimum proportion of condominium ownership (PPE) to 24% was rejected with 57.5% of the vote. The law stipulating the modalities of PPE under building law was also rejected with just under 57% of the vote.
With this double "no" to two very technical texts, the people of Geneva confirmed the agreement approved in the 2018 referendum, which provides for more than 80% rental apartments in the new Praille-Acacias-Vernets district. A completely new district with around 12,000 new apartments is to be built on the 230-hectare site south-west of Geneva city center over the next few decades. While the middle classes wanted to increase the proportion of condominiums, the left and tenants' associations demanded sufficient rental apartments.
©Keystone/SDA
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