The Senate on Tuesday unanimously followed the House of Representatives in approving a proposal which aims to waive a periodical renewal of a formal application.
Both chambers unanimously found it was sufficient for an expatriate to take part in a nationwide ballot to prove his or her interest in democratic rights.
Federal Chancellor Corina Casanova said the government agreed with a further easing of the procedure for the Swiss abroad, including the introduction of electronic voting, but it was also important to prevent possible abuses of voting rights.
There are currently about 700,000 expatriates – mainly in neighbouring France, Germany and Italy, but also in northern America.
More than 125,000 have registered to take part in votes and elections in Switzerland.
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Cutting red tape for expatriate voting rights
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The cabinet agreed to support a proposal by a parliamentary committee which aims to waive the four-year renewal of applications. Instead the committee says registration for future votes should follow on automatically after Swiss abroad have taken part in a nationwide ballot. “The proposal no doubt makes it easier for the Swiss abroad to exercise…
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The internet platform for Swiss abroad is now looking forward to playing an active role in the debate on the federal elections later this year. The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) looks after the interests of Swiss expatriates worldwide, who are often referred to as “the fifth Switzerland”. Since last August when it launched…
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The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) points out that parties like to assert their support for expatriate issues in the run-up to elections, but too often there is a perceived gap between good intentions and concrete action. A sure sign of forthcoming elections for the federal parliament, which take place every four years in…
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Despite the rising interest, Rudolf Wyder, director of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), says the importance of the expat community is not appreciated sufficiently. Back in 1992 when the vote by postal service was introduced, about 14,000 Swiss living abroad took part in ballots. But since then participation has increased steadily. At the…
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The 16,000-strong Swiss community in Argentina is the largest Swiss expatriate group in Latin America. The book El Legado Suizo (The Swiss Heritage), traces the history of the immigrants and their clubs from 1885 to the 21st century. (Pictures: El legado suizo en el Bicentenario argentino. Buenos Aires: Camara de Comercio Suizo Argentina, 2010)
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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.