Swiss to vote on exporting war materiel

Swiss voters will vote on the War Material Act Keystone-SDA

The Swiss electorate will vote on parliament's decision to relax restrictions on the export and re-export of war materiel. An alliance submitted a referendum with more than 75,000 signatures on Friday.

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The alliance comprised the leftwing Social Democratic Party, the left-wing Green Party, the Protestant Party and NGOs.

The relaxation of the War Materiel Act allows a “total free pass” for exports to 25 countries, including the US, the committee criticised in a press release. At the same time, it explicitly prohibits the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia.

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The committee described the changes as “absurd”. They would only benefit the defence industry, it said. Swiss weapons should not be used in civil and international conflicts or end up in the hands of regimes that seriously violate human rights, it said.

The alliance launched the collection of signatures at the beginning of the year after the law was passed by parliament in December.

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Adapted from German by AI/ts

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