Swiss to vote (again) on buying new jet fighters
Swiss voters will have a say on whether to buy new fighter jets – but not on the type of jet. The government said on Friday the issue would be put to the nation given the large amount of money involved and that it was an essential part of national security.
It added that the two previous projects to buy new jets – F/A-18s in 1993 and Gripen fighters in 2014 – had also been subject to a nationwide vote. The 22-plane Gripen contract was rejected by 53.4% of voters.
+ When voters rejected new jets in 2014
A vote is expected to be held by 2020 at the latest. The government said the type of plane will be decided after the vote.
In November, the government said it wanted to spend CHF8 billion ($8.4 billion) on new fighter jets and missile defences for the Swiss army. It tasked the defence ministry with looking at potential aircraft and has asked it to begin talks with Airbus, Boeing, Dassault, Lockheed Martin and Saab.
On Friday, the pacifist Switzerland Without an Army group criticised the government’s strategy as “undemocratic”, saying voters would know neither the cost nor number of planes – or indeed what the planes could even do. The group said it would start collecting signatures for a referendum against the purchase.
More
Which fighter jets would you buy?
More
Geneva secondary schools to ban mobile phones
More
Gold traceability, the weak link in Swiss watchmaking
More
Does democracy really make the world more peaceful?
More
UBS charges pension funds to hold their liquid assets
More
China’s project to mediate global disputes underlines divide between the West and the rest
News
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.