Politics in perspective: the Swiss autumn parliamentary session

A wreath and candles commemorate parliamentarian Alfred Heer. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

The initiative “No to ten million Switzerland” from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party sparked a heated marathon debate in this year’s autumn parliamentary session. At the same time, the sudden death of parliamentarian Alfred Heer was a reminder of how fragile Switzerland’s political culture is. An analysis. 

The wheels of parliament turn slowly, even on issues that matter to the Swiss Abroad.

Bank accounts for the Swiss Abroad

Top of the list was a motion on bank accounts for the Swiss Abroad. Out of the blue, Geneva senator Mauro Poggia pulled this long-buried issue back out of the box and called on the government to oblige the state-owned PostFinance bank to offer Swiss expats accounts on fair terms. In the final week of the session, the motion vanished from the agenda once again – it had been postponed.

But when it comes to political participation of the Swiss Abroad, things are moving. The House of Representatives wants to introduce electronic signatures for initiatives and referendums – a step that would greatly benefit the Swiss Abroad. Until now, signatures could be collected only on Swiss soil. The proposal, however, still needs approval from the Senate.

Pensions in focus

For those who have emigrated, or are planning to, withdrawing private pension funds could soon become easier. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate agree that contributions to private retirement savings should in future be partially accessible. Until now, they could be withdrawn only as a single lump sum.

Sceptical about reduced widows’ pensions: Social Democrats Farah Rumy, Tamara Funiciello and Linda De Ventura. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

The House of Representatives has also drafted a reform of widow’s pensions. Until now, widows have received a lifelong pension, while widowers have only been supported until their youngest child came of age. In future, the House of Representatives wants pensions to be paid out to the surviving parent, regardless of their marital status, until the youngest child turns 25. The reform is also linked to the state pension project on abolishing the “marriage penalty”. The proposal now goes to the Senate for further discussion. 

The House of Representatives also tackled financing the 13^th monthly pension payment. A majority came out in favour of a temporary VAT increase. The proposal was also sent back to the Senate.

In the Senate, the idea has now taken hold that dual French-Swiss citizens should no longer be able to dodge service in the Swiss army. The government is expected to start negotiations with France on the issue. Currently, hundreds of young dual citizens skip military service each year by attending a single “civic day” in France.  

Record debate

That brings us to the popular votes. Parliament is against any further cuts to television licence fees. Both chambers recommend rejecting the People’s Party’s “200 francs is enough” initiative. The climate fund initiative from the left-wing Social Democratic Party and the Green Party also stood little chance in parliament.

People’s Party head of asylum Pascal Schmid presented the “No to ten million Switzerland” initiative in the House of Representatives. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

The House of Representatives voiced its opposition to the People’s Party’s “No to ten million Switzerland” initiative. With 115 registered speakers, the immigration issue produced a record number of speeches, which were sometimes emotional, and sparked the longest debate parliament has ever seen. This is likely just a taste of what’s ahead in the referendum campaign. But first, the initiative moves to the Senate for discussion.

The House of Representatives also recommends rejecting the Centre Party’s initiative to abolish the so-called marriage penalty. It favours the government’s counterproposal for individual taxation. But the cantons have launched a referendum against it, which sends the issue straight to the ballot box.

Farewell to Alfred Heer

The sudden death of Alfred Heer cast a shadow over this year’s autumn session. The Zurich representative of the People’s Party enjoyed wide respect in parliament. Even his political opponents described Heer, 63, in their farewell speeches as a gracious man with a sharp wit and a great mind. Politically a warhorse, Heer never wavered in his commitment to consensus and humanity.

On the Monday after Heer died, most parliamentarians dressed in black. The eulogy by Maja Riniker, president of the House of Representatives, followed by a minute of silence, moved the parliamentarians – and suddenly all disputes seemed small. What few people knew was that the People’s Party had called off at the last minute a planned performance by its members around the “No to ten million Switzerland” initiative.

Linguistic divisions

Change of scene. “As a speaker in the chamber, you can cut off a question, no problem,” Emmanuel Amoos, a Social Democrat from canton Valais, told Swissinfo a few days after an incident in the House of Representatives. This usually happens for content reasons, he said, “not because of the language”.

The incident involved Amoos trying to pose a question to People’s Party parliamentarian Thomas Matter, who was at the podium representing the banking sector. The debate focused on banking regulations, and tensions ran high as Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, is increasingly hinting it might leave the country if political regulation became too strict.  

President of the House: Mr Matter, Mr Amoos has a question. Do you accept?

Matter:  Will the question be asked in German?

Amoos: I will ask the question in French, but I will speak slowly.

Matter: In this case, I won’t accept the question. My French is not so good today.

(Laughter) – as recorded in the parliamentary minutes.

For an elected official such an incident can easily be brushed off – there are bigger fish to fry. Yet the episode comes amid a broader debate that is currently gripping Switzerland about the role of languages in national cohesion. Like several other cantons, Zurich wants to scrap French lessons in primary schools. The government is concerned and wants to oblige the cantons by law to keep them.

The war in Gaza takes centre stage

On foreign policy, the Senate rejected Switzerland recognising the state of Palestine and dismissed a bid to end military cooperation with Israel during a special Gaza session in the House of Representatives.

Parliament also wants to better protect foreign communities in Switzerland from repression by their countries of origin with China, Russia and Eritrea singled out.

Another outcome is that the planned federal contribution of CHF269 million ($338 million) to support International Geneva will not be cut. The funds aim to reinforce Geneva as a hub of multilateralism and prevent other countries from using the reform process to expand their own diplomatic presence at Geneva’s expense.

Concerns over defence

Defence remains a major challenge. Both houses have approved CHF1.7 billion for the army, but an additional billion for ammunition was ruled out due to the debt brake.

Defence Minister Martin Pfister. Keystone / Peter Schneider

The extra costs for the new US F-35 fighter jets remain a bone of contention. Whether a referendum should be held on an any supplementary credit has been postponed to the winter session.

Martin Pfister, Swiss defence minister since April, has settled into his role and handled all questions with confidence. The media also gave him high marks.

However, concerns remain. Defence alliance NATO is being tested with hybrid attacks in Poland, Estonia and Denmark. “This should worry us,” Pfister told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, about hybrid warfare. President of the House of Representatives Maja Riniker added during a visit of a Polish parliamentary delegation: “The clear violations of territorial integrity show just how fragile the security situation on our continent is.”

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Adapted from German by Billi Bierling/ts