Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The federal votes yesterday remain a central theme in the Swiss news. In our selection, we’ll be focusing on reactions to the refusal to lower the radio and television licence fee and on the voting behaviour of the Swiss Abroad.
Away from the votes, one subject has been systematically covered by newsrooms across the country: the indictment of the mayor of Crans-Montana.
The investigation into the tragic fire in Crans-Montana is expanding. The courts in canton Valais have now charged the mayor of the municipality, Nicolas Féraud.
According to information revealed by the newspaper 24heures, four other people are being investigated: a former town councillor responsible for public safety, the former fire protection safety officer and his deputy, and a member of the current public safety team.
Nine people, including the couple who owned the bar that burnt down, have now been charged in connection with the investigation into the tragedy that left 41 people dead and 115 injured on New Year’s Eve. All are charged with negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.
This news was widely reported in the Swiss media, as well as in the international press, primarily in Italy and France, two countries particularly affected by the tragedy. This is further proof that, more than two months after the incident, the fire at the Constellation bar continues to attract unprecedented media and public interest.
This spotlight and the emotion linked to the enormity of the tragedy mean that many people and the media have very strong opinions about the case and the workings of the Valais justice system, without even knowing all the facts of the case. This has prompted Neuchâtel writer Nicolas Feuz to respond in a lengthy article published on Watson, in which he unpacks the inner workings of the investigation. An examining magistrate and then public prosecutor for 27 years, he concludes that the work of justice “would not have been done very differently in another canton”.
The media reported extensively today on the rejection of the “CHF200 is enough” initiative. The rejection is seen as confirmation of the public’s attachment to public service broadcasting.
Following the failure of the No Billag initiative in 2018, several media outlets are pointing out that the electorate has once again opted for stability, believing that the proposed reduction in the licence fee would have weakened the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) in its core missions. For those hostile to the SBC, the message is therefore clear. Watson summed it up ironically with the headline “Two slaps, is that enough?”
The French-language press emphasised the territorial dimension of the vote: the French- and Romansh-speaking cantons rejected the text by particularly large margins. For many commentators, this result reflects the sensitivity of minority regions to the issue of linguistic and cultural representation. In a media landscape marked by restructuring, the SBC is still perceived as a player that guarantees balanced coverage of the country.
In German-speaking Switzerland, the analyses focus more on the structural implications. The editorialists point out that the reduction in the licence fee to CHF300 ($385) has already been implemented and that the initiative would have required a faster and deeper reduction. Arguments relating to national cohesion, cultural production and coverage of outlying regions seem to have carried more weight than criticism of the SBC’s costs or digital presence.
But there is general agreement that this result doesn’t reflect unconditional support for the status quo. The vote does not close the debate; rather, the rejection of the initiative opens a transitional phase, focusing on the implementation of the new licence fee and on the adaptation of public service broadcasting to market developments.
In addition to the federal votes, elections were also held on Sunday in cantons Vaud and Fribourg to renew their municipal authorities.
A supplementary election to the cantonal government was also held in Vaud. At federal level, the mid-term elections have already passed and the federal elections of October 2027 are just around the corner, but these cantonal elections may provide some indication of the current dynamics.
The most striking fact about these elections is the sharp decline of the Greens. The decline is all the more marked given that the previous elections had been a historic success for the ecological movement. In the five largest cities in canton Vaud, the Greens lost a total of 39 seats. The situation is similar in Fribourg, where the Greens have lost half their representation in the municipal legislature.
The radical or alternative left is making progress, often to the detriment of the Greens. In Lausanne, for example, Ensemble à gauche (together to the left) is making strong gains. The case of Fribourg is even more striking. The new alternative left-wing movement DAS (Dignité-Action-Solidarité), which emerged only a few weeks ago, took seven seats in the legislature in its first appearance, as many as the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party and only slightly fewer than the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (eight seats) and the left-wing Greens (11).
Generally speaking, however, there has been no major shift in the overall balance of power. The parties in the centre and on the right of the political spectrum have regained some ground since the last elections. But this movement remains moderate and highly dependent on the local context.
The Swiss Abroad supported the reform of individual taxation much more strongly than the national electorate.
While 54% of the Swiss as a whole voted in favour, over 68% of the diaspora voted in favour, with peaks of over 70% in Geneva. Their familiarity with individual taxation and their sensitivity to equality arguments partly explain this discrepancy.
The climate fund, which was overwhelmingly rejected in Switzerland, received considerably more support among expatriates (42%). As is often the case, their vote was similar to that of the major Swiss cities, where the initiative achieved its best results. The diaspora thus confirms its more urban and progressive profile.
On other issues, the results of the Swiss Abroad largely reflect those of the country as a whole. However, they rejected the SBC initiative even more strongly than the average, probably because of their particular attachment to SBC content abroad. On the other hand, the vote on cash corresponds almost exactly to the national vote.
Turnout among the diaspora remained stable at around 23% of those who are registered to vote, in contrast to the increase observed in Switzerland (55.1%). According to the analyses, only issues directly affecting the Swiss Abroad provoke a higher turnout, which was not the case in this election.
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