Fribourg and Schwyz to become more politically transparent
The townhall in Schwyz
Keystone
Political parties and organisations in cantons Schwyz and Fribourg will in future have to declare their finances during campaigns for elections and votes.
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الناخبون يؤيّدون مبادرة الشفافية المالية في كانتوني فريبورغ وشفيتس
In a surprise and very close result in Schwyz in central Switzerland, 50.28% of voters – a difference of around 300 votes – on Sunday approved the “Transparency Initiative” put forward by the leftwing Young Socialists SchwyzExternal link.
In doing so, a majority of voters ignored the recommendation of the cantonal government and parliament.
In canton Fribourg, in the French-speaking part of the country, 68.5% of voters backed a similar initiative on Sunday.
Rules for party campaign funding already exist in cantons Ticino, Geneva and Neuchâtel. At a federal level, an initiative was handed in in October; the government rejected it, but it will most likely go to a nationwide vote.
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“Too much money in elections hollows out democracy,” Annan told the audience at the Geneva Graduate Institute attending a public debate entitled, “Are elections giving democracy a bad name?” “We must recognise that the growing and sometimes pernicious influence of money, especially in elections even in well-established and seemingly stable democracies really does distort democracy.”…
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