Voters rejected urban sprawl curbs due to adequate laws
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone SDA/sb
A study shows that Swiss voters threw out a proposal last February aimed at curbing urban sprawl as most people felt that existing rules were sufficient.
A Voto study published on Thursday revealed that over 80% of Swiss citizens believe green spaces and farmland should be better protected. Nevertheless, on February 10 almost 64% of Swiss voters rejected a proposed freeze on construction zones across the country. The initiative had been launched by the youth chapter of the Green Party.
Analysing the initiative results, Voto researchers found that most people voted ‘No’ in February as they felt existing laws were sufficient to combat urban sprawl. A majority of people questioned felt the initiative had been too restrictive and had sought to impose too many rules.
Most Green Party supporters (91%) backed the initiative. Meanwhile, 80% of people who said they were centre-right supporters rejected the proposal. Centre-left Social Democrats and Green Liberals were split. Of those who gave their support, two-thirds said they backed it for environmental reasons, while 10% said existing laws were insufficient.
The 37.9% turnout for the February ballot was below average, despite a lively but short public campaign. The Voto survey revealed that 44% of those who didn’t vote said it was because they had forgotten, 34% said they had ill or had been on holiday, while 32% said they were not interested in the urban sprawl issue.
The VOTO survey, financed by the Federal Chancellery, was conducted by the Centre for Democracy Studies Aarau (ZDA), the FORS research institute and the polling institute Link. It was conducted from February 12 to 26, 2019, with 1,517 voters.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss dismiss freeze on construction zones
This content was published on
Voters have rejected a proposal aimed at curbing urban sprawl in Switzerland. The Green Party initiative failed to attract broad support.
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.