No voting for foreigners in Basel and Bern
Proposals by centre-left parties to give foreigners in Basel and Bern the right to vote at a cantonal or local level have failed at the ballot box.
Two separate initiatives in canton Basel City were rejected by 61 and 81 per cent respectively on Sunday. Had they been accepted foreigners would have been granted the right to vote and put themselves forward for political office.
In canton Bern, a proposal to introduce suffrage for foreigners at a local level was thrown out by 72 per cent of voters.
Less than ten of the country’s 26 cantons have granted non-Swiss residents the right to vote at a cantonal or local level.
Neuchâtel and Jura are at the forefront of efforts to extend full democratic rights to foreigners.
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.