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Collecting of vote signatures to continue in Switzerland as planned

Signature form.
The government said there is currently no reliable evidence that referendums have come about thanks to forged signatures. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss government is refraining from taking drastic emergency measures following the revelation of suspected cases of fraud. No follow-up checks are to be made and pending initiatives and referendums will not be suspended. Ongoing signature collections should continue as planned.

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No follow-up checks or suspension of pending initiatives are planned, the government announced on Friday. It thus supports the proposals of the Federal Chancellery.

“To date, there is no reliable evidence that referendums have only come about thanks to forged signatures,” the government said.

+ ‘Signatures scam’ reveals cracks in Swiss system

Moreover, the authorities lack the legal basis both for suspending the processing of popular initiatives and for the subsequent verification of signatures, it said. “The conditions for creating the appropriate basis by emergency law have not been met,” it said.

Instead, the government wants to counter dishonest practices in the collection of signatures for referendums with criminal prosecution, prevention and improved processes.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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