Valais citizens abroad could be able to vote for senators

Council of States: Valaisans abroad must be able to vote Keystone-SDA

Swiss citizens from canton Valais who live abroad should be able to vote for their representatives in the Senate. On Tuesday the cantonal parliament approved a motion to this effect by 77 votes to 44.

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In 13 cantons, voting in elections to the Senate is an acquired right. This is particularly the case for nationals of Bern, Fribourg and Geneva living abroad. However, this is not the case for the people of Valais.

The draft of the new cantonal constitution included an article to change this situation. Since the draft was rejected in the vote on March 3, 2024, the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party of French-speaking Valais, the Swiss People’s Party of French-speaking Valais and the Green Party have decided to submit a motion to the cantonal parliament.

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“Being able to vote in elections to the House of Representatives but not to the Senate is discrimination”, argued Carole Morisod from the Greens.

The motion was adopted by a majority of the cantonal parliament and forwarded to the Senate for processing. The Centre Party and the Swiss People’s Party voted against.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

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