Expatriate Swiss Demand Assurance of Their Political Rights
Published: Saturday, Aug 19th 2023, 17:40
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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Around one hundred Swiss expatriates gathered in St. Gallen on Saturday for a congress organised by the Swiss Abroad Organisation (ASO). At the event, ASO emphasised the importance of Swiss expatriates as a large voting bloc ahead of the upcoming elections in October. The organisation’s election manifesto, discussed at the congress, calls for the secure exercise of political rights abroad. According to the media release, almost 800,000 Swiss citizens live abroad. Swiss expatriates can only vote electronically in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen and Thurgau in the national elections in October. In addition, the Swiss expatriates are calling for the advancement of virtual administration (E-Government), the secure implementation of the freedom of movement, the removal of mobility barriers in social security and the secure funding of Swiss schools abroad. The event was attended mainly by Swiss citizens living in the EU, but also by people from Argentina, South Africa, Israel and Thailand. The manifesto was discussed with members of the National Council Sarah Wyss (SP/BS), Laurent Wehrli (FDP/VD), Nicolas Walder (Green/GE), Roland Fischer (GLP/LU), Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter (The Middle/BL) and Inge Schütz, President of the SVP International. ASO President and former Council of States member Filippo Lombardi was quoted in the media release as saying that the politicians present were "sensitized to the concerns of the Fifth Switzerland". He urged them to advocate for the concerns of the Swiss expatriates within their respective parties.nnnnnnnnnn
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