Supporters of foreigner voting rights suffer setback
Voters in canton Solothurn have thrown out a proposal to give its more than 100 municipalities the right to grant non-Swiss residents a say in local matters.
Official results from Sunday’s ballot show 73.2% of voters rejecting the left-wing initiative, according to the Solothurn cantonal authoritiesExternal link.
The proposal by the Young Socialist group was defeated despite backing from the cantonal government.
Centrist and right-wing parties opposed the plans, saying foreigners should first seek a Swiss passport before getting a say in local politics.
So far, eight of the country’s 26 cantons have granted rights to foreigners with a permanent residence permit. In French-speaking Switzerland, foreigners also have the right to take part in cantonal votes.
More
Foreigner voting rights: broad variety of opinions
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.