Public continues to reject Gripens
As a year ago, around two-thirds of Swiss surveyed by the polling institute Isopublic are against purchasing 22 Gripen fighter planes from Sweden for CHF3 billion ($3.2 billion).Thirty-one per cent are in favour, compared to 25.6 per cent last year.
According to the survey, published on Sunday in the newspaper SonntagsBlick, French-speaking Switzerland (70 per cent) and women (73 per cent) are particularly sceptical, and younger people are more likely to be against the purchase than members of the older generations.
In parliament, the numbers are much closer. Earlier in the year the Senate voted narrowly in favour, but failed by one vote to attain a majority required for the release of funds. It is scheduled to vote again in the third week of the Autumn session.
The House of Representatives will vote on Wednesday. Its advisory committee was in favour of the purchase.
If both the Senate and the House agree to the purchase, it will go to a vote by the people.
In the Isopublic survey published in 2012, 57 per cent of people surveyed were against the purchase of fighter jets in general.
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