Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
More than 2,000 people were unable to exercise their democratic rights on Sunday owing to a technical problem with a USB stick. What happened in canton Basel City calls into question the reliability of e-voting.
Although voters decided not to drastically reduce the licence fee of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), it is clear that the public service will have to transform. How it will do so is already the subject of heated debate.
A technical problem with the e-voting system in canton Basel City, which made it impossible to count 2,048 votes, mainly from Swiss voters abroad, marked Sunday’s voting, raising fears of a lasting loss of confidence in online voting.
The existence of the problem, which was caused by a faulty USB stick needed to decipher the digital ballot box, was announced on Friday, too late for many people to make other arrangements to cast their votes.
Among those affected is former Basel politician Christine D’Souza, who lives in France. D’Souza criticises the canton for the delay in communication and is considering a complaint for violation of political rights.
The cantonal public prosecutor’s office has opened criminal proceedings on the case, while the canton has announced its intention to have the incident analysed by an external body. The e-voting trial will be discontinued at least until the end of the year.
Politicians such as Lucas Leemann and Michael Herrmann warn that the affair risks seriously undermining the credibility of e-voting at a time when Basel City is aiming to extend it to people living in Switzerland (currently, apart from people living abroad, only people with disabilities have access to it). The episode offers a new argument to those who deplore the technical risks of the system and damages the image of the project at the national level.
The Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) has forwarded a report to the Valais public prosecutor’s office for possible money laundering against Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple who run the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, where 41 people lost their lives in a fire on New Year’s Eve.
The document that Swiss public broadcaster RTS was able to consult, dated February 24, mentions mortgages, leasing, public aid, compliant activities and other more suspicious ones, such as unjustified loans or repayments without initial loans.
Fedpol’s Money Laundering Reporting Office (MROS) particularly questions the numerous transfers of funds between the various companies held by the couple and possible links to Corsican crime. The sums involved run into hundreds of thousands of francs. It will be up to the Valais Public Prosecutor’s Office to decide on the follow-up.
In the meantime, parliament today approved an urgent bill to allocate a solidarity contribution of CHF50,000 ($64,000) to each of those injured in the fire and to the families of those who lost their lives. The parliament of canton Valais, meanwhile, will discuss on Thursday the creation of a foundation for the victims and their loved ones and the payment of CHF10 million to fund it.
What will the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) of the future look like? A Tamedia survey shows deep differences of opinion among the population.
Although voters rejected on Sunday an initiative calling for a reduction in the licence fee from CHF335 ($432) to CHF200 per household per year, the SBC – Swissinfo’s parent company – will still have to make savings because, according to the government’s plans, the fee will still be reduced to CHF300.
Communications Minister Albert Rösti therefore emphasised the need to reframe the SBC’s remit in view of the new mandate for 2029. But the survey shows how opinions differ widely as to which aspects should be reduced or developed.
Only information is regarded by all sections of the population – regardless of age, region, income or education – as the core mission of the public media. It is the other aspects that are divisive, Tamedia writes.
Those who vote left would like more culture and education programmes, those who sympathise with the right want more sport. And while the government wants to reduce the online offer, the younger generation would like to increase it.
A lot was said about the army in parliament today. Here is a selection of the decisions taken by the two chambers.
The Senate reiterated its support for a motion that wants to prevent Franco-Swiss citizens from evading military service simply by taking part in a “Defence and Citizenship Day” in France. It therefore did not align itself with the House of Representatives’ call for the introduction of a blanket rule for all those with dual citizenship.
After the House of Representatives, the Senate also tacitly approved a motion today that would allow former military personnel to serve again in the interest of the country. A green light was also given to a motion that wants to abolish tax disadvantages for women in the army, who should therefore be better remunerated in the future.
The Senate granted the government’s request to authorise the use of the army to ensure security during the G7 summit to be held in Evian, in neighbouring France, on June 16-17 and approved the extension of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Swisscoy, until 2029.
Translated using AI/ts
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