Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Supporters of foreigner voting rights suffer setback

voting
As of now, foreigners can vote in eight of the country's 26 cantons. Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller

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

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Switzerland delivers equipment worth 5.6 million to Ukraine

More

Switzerland will deliver rubble removal equipment to Ukraine

This content was published on Thirty rubble removal machines and thirty fire-fighting pumps: this is the equipment that Switzerland will be delivering to the Ukraine in the next few days. The total value of these goods is 5.6 million Swiss francs.

Read more: Switzerland will deliver rubble removal equipment to Ukraine
Trees can live for thousands of years

More

Swiss-led study unravels tree growth and longevity

This content was published on Trees reach old age using different strategies. This is shown by a Swiss-led research team with over 100 scientists from all over the world in a new study, for which they analyzed trees that live to be over three thousand years old.

Read more: Swiss-led study unravels tree growth and longevity

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR