Police question Geneva electoral official in fraud case
An investigation into possible electoral fraud has been opened in Geneva, following reports that an employee in the elections office manipulated ballots.
According to the 20 Minutes newspaper, police searched the offices of the Geneva elections servicesExternal link on Thursday, following up on information received in February that an employee had engaged in possible fraud.
The news was later confirmed in a statement External linkby the Geneva Office of the Attorney General.
Two other employees of the election office apparently reported the behaviour of their colleague to authorities some months ago: during several votes, they said, the employee in question had destroyed some ballot papers and added others.
20 Minutes wrote that the results of several votes, some from a few years ago, could be concerned by the fraud.
The employee was questioned by Geneva police on Thursday and the public prosecutor’s investigation into electoral fraud continues.
Switzerland, where citizens vote several times per year under the country’s direct democracy system, is renowned for its well-functioning political system. Cases of voter fraud are not unheard of, however, including one as yet unresolved case in canton Jura.
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