The votes on November 29 are fast approaching – are you ready?
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Listening: The votes on November 29 are fast approaching – are you ready?
Dear Swiss Abroad,
“A flying start for the fireworks initiative”. That’s the catchy headline my colleague Pauline Turuban came up with to comment on the “dazzling result” achieved by the fireworks initiative in the first Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) poll published on Friday. Had the vote taken place in mid-October, the proposal – which aims to restrict the sale and use of noisy fireworks – would have been approved by nearly 70% of voters.
The animal welfare organisations behind the initiative have managed to win support across all the country’s linguistic regions and across the political spectrum with relatively simple arguments: fireworks pollute the environment, cause stress to animals and lead to accidents.
Although this issue may seem trivial, we may be heading towards a minor revolution: the Swiss are prepared to do away with a popular tradition – one that is nevertheless deeply rooted in the August 1 National Day celebrations – in order to ensure peace and quiet for themselves and their four-legged friends.
It remains to be seen, however, whether the “explosive” result of this poll will secure a majority at the ballot box on November 29, as popular initiatives generally tend to lose ground as the campaign progresses.
In this newsletter, you will also find numerous articles that will help you form your own opinion on the four proposals put to the vote on November 29.
Enjoy the reading!
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2 minutes
I manage a multilingual team responsible for covering the Swiss Abroad, providing them with the information they need to participate in political life in Switzerland.
After studying political science in Neuchâtel and Bern, I started out in multimedia journalism at SwissTXT and RTS. Since 2008, I've been working at SWI swissinfo.ch, where I've held various journalistic and management positions.
November 29 votes: flying start for Swiss fireworks initiative
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The first SBC poll ahead of the November 29 votes shows strong support for the fireworks initiative, while the outcomes of several other proposals remain uncertain.
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Voting from abroad: How to register for Swiss elections
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Switzerland grants voting rights to its citizens living abroad. If you want to exercise your voting rights, you must first get on the electoral register.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.