Department of Political Science, Swiss and Comparative Politics, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Transcription

1 European Journal of Political Research 41: , Switzerland SIBYLLE HARDMEIER Department of Political Science, Swiss and Comparative Politics, University of Zurich, Switzerland Cabinet (Federal Council) Due to the so-called magic formula for the composition of the Swiss Cabinet, there was no change in party composition. In December 2000, Federal Councilor Moritz Leuenberger (1946 male, SPS) was elected President of the Swiss Federation for Leuenberger is Minister of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation UVEK). Changes in Parliament As Swiss parliamentary elections had taken place in 1999, the partisan balance remained stable during On 26 November, Liliane Maury Pasquier (SPS, canton Geneva) was elected President of the Lower House (Nationalrat) by 151 votes; Anton Cottier (CVP, canton Freiburg) was made President of the Upper House (Ständerat). Four members of the Lower House resigned in 2001, and there was one replacement in the Upper House. The four Lower House members were replaced by M. Graf (GP, canton Basel-Landschaft), A. Imfeld (CVP, canton Obwalden), E. Schibli (SVP, canton Zurich) and Ch. Wirz-von Planta (Lib., canton Bern). H. Lauri (SVP, canton Bern) took the seat in the Upper House. Results of national referendums and initiatives In 2001, Swiss voters were asked to cast a ballot three times in 12 popular decisions: four of these were based on optional legislative referendums and eight on constitutional initiatives. On the one hand, these votes were characterized by the typical pattern of Swiss direct democracy (i.e., by a poor success rate Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA

2 1096 sibylle hardmeier Table 1. Cabinet composition For the composition of the Federal Council on 1 January 2001, see Political Data Yearbook 2000: 426. for the initiatives see the Switzerland entry in Political Data Yearbook 2000) and by good chances of success for the optional referendums. Furthermore, 2001 gives an example of mobilization patterns: the March 2001 ballot (popular initiative on European Union membership negotiations) mobilized a high number of voters (55 per cent of the electorate). High turnout is typical for referendums on foreign policy and national sovereignty issues. However, the highest recent turnout on a foreign policy issue remains the December 1992 referendum that rejected Switzerland s participation in the European Economic Area (EEA) and mobilized 78.7 per cent of the electorate. In 1996, a committee of mostly young and low profile activists launched a popular initiative named Yes to Europe, which called for immediate accession negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union. The Federal Council opposed this initiative for strategic reasons, despite having declared full European Union membership to be a strategic objective for Switzerland and despite having planned to take a decision about starting negotiations during the legislative term. It encouraged Parliament to submit a counterproposal to the initiative, but the Upper House voted against it. As a result, withdrawing the Yes to Europe initiative became politically impossible. Finally, two different camps opposed the initiative. The first, headed by the Federal Council, criticized the speed of accession demanded by the initiative, and called its supporters euroturbos. The second opposing camp was made up of pronounced European Union critics. Consequently, the chance of success for the initiative was small at the outset. Some 51 per cent of the No voters were against the initiative because they rejected the idea of European Union membership; 39 per cent of the No voters declared that they had cast a strategic vote and argued that negotiations should not be rushed (see Hirter & Linder 2001). As expected, the initiative achieved the highest number of Yes votes in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. In this region, No votes were often backed up with strategic considerations. The so-called Medicaments Initiative called for the free importation of medicine already registered abroad, and aimed at obliging health insurance to provide cheaper medicine and generic or no-name medicine if available. In this initiative, launched by the Denner supermarket chain, social and political groups united to vote against cheaper prescription medicine (70 per cent No votes). The decisive factor here was voters fear that opening the market to

3 Table 2. National Referenda and Initiatives, 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 Total electorate on 4 March 2001: Total electorate on 10 June 2001: Total electorate on 2 December 2001: 4,688,585 (including 72,754 Swiss abroad) 4,698,248 (including 76,057 Swiss abroad) 4,712,223 (including 78,553 Swiss abroad) Percentage Percentage Percentage Valid votes Total rate of Issues Yes 1 No 1 cast votes cast participation 4 March 2001 Popular Initiative: Yes to Europe (CI) (20, 6/2) 2,579,766 2,616, Popular Initiative for cheaper prescription medicines (20, 6/2) 2,565,718 2,612, (Medicaments Initiative) (CI) Popular Initiative: Roads for All (CI) (20, 6/2) 2,588,923 2,616, June 2001 Amendment of 6 October 2000 to the Federal law on the ,965,607 1,997, Army and Military Administration (Military Law) (LR) Amendment of 6 October 2000 to the Federal law on the ,957,796 1,996, Army and Military Administration (Military Law, Training Cooperation) (LR) Federal Resolution of 15 December 2000 on abolishing 64.2 (20, 6/2) ,860,664 1,975, statutory approval for the establishment of dioceses (LR) 10 December 2001 Federal decree on debt control (LR) 84.7 (20, 6/2) ,737,349 1,782, Popular Initiative for a secure AHV tax energy, not work (20, 6/2) 1,739,748 1,783, (CI) Popular Initiative for a credible security policy and a (20, 6/2) 1,757,325 1,787, Switzerland without army (CI) Popular Initiative: Solidarity creates security: for a (20, 6/2) 1,744,091 1,783, voluntary civil peace service (CPS) (CI) Popular Initiative for a capital gains tax (CI) (20, 6/2) 1,744,109 1,783, CR = Constitutional Referendum; LR = Legislative Referendum; CI = Constitutional Initiative. 1 In parentheses are the votes from the cantons and half-cantons where necessary (CR, CI), e.g., 18, 6/2 cantons = 18 cantons and 6 half cantons. switzerland 1097

4 1098 sibylle hardmeier prescription drugs could harm patients health. About one-third of all voters were sceptical about the efficacy of generic medicine. A further argument was that the prescription of cheaper medicine might result in a two-tier medical system. The cost-cutting measures proposed were rejected. The popular initiative Roads for All called for the introduction of a 30- kilometre speed limit on all roads in cities and towns. As had been the case with earlier initiatives dealing with road traffic, the outcome of this referendum reflects a Right-Left cleavage. It is important to note, however, that only left-wing (and not centre-left) voters cast a Yes vote. Some 79.7 per cent of the voters and all of the cantons rejected the initiative. In June 2001, attention turned to the Swiss Army. In a narrow vote (51.0 and 52.2 per cent Yes votes), the Swiss people approved revisions of Swiss legislation on the Army and on military administration which gave the Federal Council a green light to send armed contingents of volunteers on peacekeeping missions abroad. A second part of this revision (training cooperation) enables international agreements for military training cooperation at home and abroad. The narrow result can be explained by a rare alliance between the peace movement on the one hand, and right-wing supporters of neutrality on the other. The referendum was more about isolation versus international cooperation, than about the role of the Swiss Army (see Ballmer-Cao et al. 2001). The referendum to repeal a constitutional article dating back to 1874 and prescribing the federal approval of dioceses found strong approval, with 64.2 per cent of the voters being convinced by the Government s argument that it was time to do away with this antiquated custom. Opponents of the initiative distrusted the Catholic Church and the Vatican (see Ballmer-Cao et al. 2001). A December 2001 ballot asked about four initiatives and one federal decree to reduce federal deficits. The turnout was 37.4 per cent and even the initiative of the Group for a Switzerland without an Army, which had provoked a mobilization peak in 1989 with this same request, was not able to obtain a high level of participation (see Zürcher et al. 2002). This initiative was submitted together with a second one ( Solidarity creates security: for a voluntary civil peace service ) and was clearly rejected. Yes votes decreased by 14 per cent in comparison to This can be explained both as a mobilization problem and by stronger support in general for the Swiss Army as an institution. The energy tax initiative launched by the Green Party, calling for a fiscal system based on ecological as well as social principles, was sharply defeated; as was the Swiss Trade Union Association (SGB) initiative: For a capital gains

5 switzerland 1099 tax. To a large extent, the clear No of the voters was motivated by rational choice. Finally, the debt control proposal of the Federal council was approved by 85 per cent of the voters. All in all, therefore, the centre-right and the Government gained unambiguous support. National initiatives and referendums, however, were perceived as having little importance as compared to international and national events (see below). Issues in national politics Following the terrorist attacks of 11 September in the United States, the country expressed shock and profound grief. Through many symbolic manifestations of mourning and political demonstrations, the Swiss people expressed their condolences and showed concern for the international situation. Only a couple of days later, another bloodbath cast a pall of sadness over the country. On 27 September, an armed Swiss citizen stormed the Parliament of Zug and shot 14 politicians to death. The catastrophic financial situation of the Swiss airline Swissair, which led to the grounding of all aircraft, and the crash of a Crossair airplane in November added to what was perceived as one of the most catastrophic and moving years for Switzerland. These shocking and saddening events provoked much debate and political action. On December 2001, the Department of Foreign Affairs submitted its report on the fight against terrorism to the United Nations Security Council. After the Zug nightmare, security precautions in Swiss parliaments and gun-control laws were debated. Finally, Federal authorities decided to support the new Swiss airline ( Swiss ) with sizeable credits and loans. The Federal Council justified these decisions with economic and social arguments, specifically the need to maintain locational advantage and to safeguard employment. Sources and further information Publications: Ballmer-Cao, T.H. et al. (2001). Analyse der eidgenössischen Abstimmung vom 10. Juni VOX Nr. 74. Genf/Bern: DSP/GfS. Hirter, H. & Linder, W. (2001). Analyse der eidgenössischen Abstimmung vom 4. März VOX Nr. 73. Bern: IPW/GfS. Swiss Review: The Magazine for the Swiss Abroad, Nos. 1 6, 2001.

6 1100 sibylle hardmeier Zürcher, L., Mahnig, F. & Milic, T. (2002). Analyse der eidgenössischen Abstimmung vom 2. Dezember VOX Nr. 75. Zürich/Bern: IPZ/GfS. On the Internet: The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation: Fighting Terrorism: