Government rejects naturalisation initiative
Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf has launched the government's campaign against a proposal aimed at restoring ballots on citizenship applications.
The rightwing Swiss People’s Party initiative seeks to try to overturn an effective ban by the Federal Court five years ago.
A nationwide vote is due to take place on June 1.
Widmer-Schlumpf said the cabinet’s rejection was founded on the guarantee of constitutional rights to every individual and in particular on protection against discrimination and arbitrariness.
She said that the text of the initiative was problematic in law and also difficult to apply in practice.
The People’s Party argues that local voters should have the final say on granting Swiss citizenship to foreigners and that the Federal Court’s ban is an infringement of citizen’s rights.
Opponents say it is too easy for foreigners to receive a Swiss passport under current legislation.
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.