Experts differ in their assessment of possible signature fraud
Published: Tuesday, Sep 3rd 2024, 14:30
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Reactions to the revelation of possible fraudulent signatures on initiatives vary. Some see democracy in danger, while others point to the electorate, which always has the final say.
Martin Hilti, Managing Director of Transparency International Switzerland, expressed his extreme concern on Swiss radio SRF on Tuesday about the ongoing investigations into possible forged signatures in the collection of popular initiatives: "If there has been systematic and large-scale fraud, as it appears to be, then this is a huge problem for our democracy." The public's trust in democracy is suffering, and that is extremely damaging.
In the "Rendez-vous" program, Hilti called for rapid and thorough investigations into who was responsible. They must be held accountable. The authorities must also be able to ensure that fraud can no longer be perpetrated in the future.
According to Hilti, it is "fundamentally tricky when signatures are collected in exchange for non-cash benefits". Clear rules are needed to ensure that the signatures are collected correctly.
"Real" fight against abuse required
Political geographer Michael Hermann said on SRF Radio's "Tagesgespräch" that he was not surprised by the alleged signature fraud. The incentive to cheat is great in view of the fact that collecting signatures is difficult and signatures have their price.
Hermann said that it could not be ruled out that initiatives had been voted on that would not have actually come about. "But the voters had the final say."
Hermann therefore judged the incident to be less serious than voting fraud. In his opinion, a ban on commercial signature collections, which some parties have called for, should "at least be considered", as the risk is much higher there.
However, it is much more important to really combat abuse. We need to take a closer look and perhaps set higher standards.
©Keystone/SDA
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