Swiss Abroad aim for seats in parliament

Although the Council of the Swiss Abroad sits in the House of Representatives, it has no real institutional powers. OSA

What if the Swiss Abroad had their own representatives in the federal parliament, as in France or Italy? Although the idea remains marginal in Swiss politics, it is nevertheless a long-term objective for the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad.

The idea of seats in parliament for Swiss citizens abroad has never found majority political support. But this is not for lack of trying: since 2007 four parliamentarians have tabled motions for direct representation of the diaspora. All have failed.

The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), which defends the interests of Swiss citizens who live outside Switzerland, continues to pursue this demand. In its most recent session, a working group of the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), the parliament of the Swiss Abroad, examined the issue. Delegates then adopted a resolution to include the project in the OSA’s long-term demands. 

“Public and political opinion is not ready to grant more rights to Swiss citizens abroad,” admits Constantin Kokkinos, a CSA delegate for Swiss citizens in Greece and member of the working group. Indeed, beyond the ranks of the left, parties are reluctant to give more weight to Swiss citizens abroad, even though a few parliamentarians from the conservative right are in favour. 

Constantin Kokkinos, delegate of the Swiss in Greece ldd

This is why for the Swiss Abroad lobby it is a long-term goal. “We want to continue lobbying on an ad hoc basis to advance the idea and wait for the right moment to take political action,” Kokkinos explains. 

Increasing seats in the House of Representatives

Such a reform would involve creating an electoral district for the diaspora, a sort of 27th canton. This would allow expatriates to elect their own representatives to parliament.

“We would have six to eight seats in the House of Representatives,” Kokkinos says. The working group recommends increasing the number of seats in the House of Representatives so as not to upset the cantons by taking seats away from them. 

The current system already allows emigrants to vote and be elected to parliament. However, logistical obstacles, lack of local visibility and the absence of a dedicated constituency make election to the federal parliament virtually impossible. Only Tim Guldimann, a former ambassador, has managed to be elected to the House of Representatives – in 2015 – while residing in Berlin. However, he resigned during his term of office, believing that it was difficult to represent a country without living there.

The diaspora also has other political channels. The “Swiss Abroad” parliamentary groupExternal link, which brings together more than 60 elected parliamentarians, voices the diaspora’s concerns in parliament. The OSA acts as the group’s secretariat. “It’s a lobbying system that works well,” Kokkinos admits. 

However, he believes that this is not enough to guarantee political representation for the Swiss Abroad. “Switzerland must update its democracy by introducing direct representation for citizens living abroad,” Kokkinos says. 

Uphill battle to represent Italians abroad in Rome

Only a minority of European countries have direct representation for expatriates in parliament, notably France, Italy, Portugal, Croatia and Romania. Germany, on the other hand, has a system similar to Switzerland’s. 

Toni Ricciardi, politician for Italians Abroad toniricciardi.it

Italians living abroad can elect eight members of the Chamber of Deputies and four senators in a special constituencyExternal link created in 2001.

Toni Ricciardi, an Italian-Swiss based in Geneva, is a member of Italy’s parliament for the European zone (which includes Russia and Turkey). In a written response to Swissinfo, he acknowledges that his task is complex. “It’s very tiring, because I represent 3.6 million Italians in Europe,” he says. “The numbers, the spaces and the issues are different from those that concern Italian politics.”  

To maintain the link between his electorate and Rome, he says he makes “countless trips every weekend to my constituency, which stretches from Moscow to Lisbon, from Helsinki to Malta”.

“I listen to my voters. I inform them of what has been done in parliament and take note of their needs,” Ricciardi explains.

However, he admits it is not easy to get the demands of the Italian diaspora across in Rome. “Every small measure is a political battle, first within the party, then with the rest of the political forces,” says Ricciardi. Nevertheless, he considers direct representation to be essential for a country like Italy, “which has seen nearly 40 million citizens leave since 1876”.

He thinks Switzerland should take inspiration from the Italian model. “I believe Swiss citizens around the world have the right to choose their representatives, as this is a constantly growing community,” he says.

Maintaining the democratic link

France also has a system of direct representation for its diaspora. The roughly 2.5 million French citizens living abroad have 11 members of the National Assembly and 12 senatorsExternal link, with 11 constituencies covering different regions of the world.

Marie-Ange Rousselot has been the parliamentarian for French citizens in Switzerland and Liechtenstein since October 2024 when her predecessor Marc Ferracci became industry minister. She is a 38-year-old French-Swiss dual national who supports French President Emmanuel Macron.

Rousselot believes that politicians representing French citizens abroad play a vital role in defending their interests in the French parliament. “Priorities vary from country to country, but access to public services, consulates and social assistance remains fundamental for French citizens abroad,” she stresses.

Marie-Ange Rousselot, parliamentarian for the French in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Assemblée Nationale

She thinks it important to consider ways of improving democratic representation of citizens abroad. “Today, people are increasingly mobile. They often go abroad to work and then return home. It’s important to maintain civic and democratic ties with the diaspora,” she says. However, she believes that this does not necessarily have to involve direct representation. 

No miracle solution

Marc Bühlmann, a political scientist at the University of Bern and director of the Swiss Political Year platform, also believes that direct representation is not a panacea. “A Swiss Abroad representative in the federal parliament would certainly be a symbolic but not necessarily substantive boost for representation,” he explains. In other words, a dedicated seat would improve the visibility of the diaspora but would not guarantee sufficient political influence to advance its agenda.

Bühlmann identifies another difficulty: although the roughly 830,000 Swiss Abroad are significant demographically, they form a very heterogeneous community. “These people do not share the same political convictions or interests,” he notes. “So it’s difficult to organise coherent political action.” Only certain issues such as electronic voting manage to unite expatriates around a common goal.

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He says the current system allows the diaspora to defend its interests relatively effectively, but without any real institutional power. “The Council of the Swiss Abroad has no formal rights. On the other hand, the “Swiss Abroad” parliamentary group allows them to bring their demands to parliament,” he observes. However, he considers this to be more of a lobbying system than political representation in the strict sense.

Bühlmann remains sceptical about reforming the system. “It’s unlikely that a political majority will emerge in favour of this,” he says.

>> Our article on the last meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad:

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Translated from French by Julia Crawford/ts