Switzerland: Referendum, 24 September 2017

At stake in this election:

• Citizens of Switzerland will be voting on the Federal Decree on Food Security, the Federal Decree on the Additional Financing of the AVH by an Increase of VAT, and the Federal Act on the 2020 Pension Reforms

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President of the Swiss Confederation Doris LEUTHARD (since 1 January 2017)
• Head of Government: President of the Swiss Confederation Doris LEUTHARD (since 1 January 2017)
• Assembly: Bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung or Assemblee Federale) consisting of the Council of States (Staenderat or Conseil des Etats) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat or Conseil National) with 200 seats

Electoral requirements:

• Swiss citizens can call both constitutional and legislative referendums. The electorate can initiate constitutional legislation with a federal popular initiative. Each proposal on a referendum has “Yes” and “No” boxes for each voter to fill in.

About the referendum:

• The referendum will consider food security and pension reform. Citizens will vote on a plan to ensure food security in Switzerland, which is expected to pass with a majority. Pension reform is more controversial, as some consider a VAT increase a necessity to maintain Swiss social security, while others oppose the measure.

Main provisions in the referendum:

• Federal Decree on Food Security
  • The article aims to support current agriculture policy. It outlines ways to ensure long term food stability for the Swiss population and considers a combination of domestic production and imported foods.
• Federal Decree on Additional Financing of the AVH by an Increase of VAT / Federal Act on the 2020 Pension Reforms
  • The bills plan to provide additional funding for OASI Pensions by increasing the rate of VAT and increasing the retirement age for women from 64 to 65.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,179,294 (2016)
• Registered Voters: 5,325,848 (2016) 

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 4,151,926 (2016 est.)
• Is Switzerland a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (23 January 1987)
• Has Switzerland ratified CEDAW: Yes (27 March 1997)
• Gender Quota: No
• Female candidates in this election: N/A
• Number of Female Parliamentarians: 73
• Human Development Index Position: 2
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

• Is Switzerland a signatory to CRPD: N/A
• Has Switzerland ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (15 April 2014)
• Population with a disability: 1,218,275