The Geneva branch of the hard-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) said it will launch an initiative to abolish the right of foreigners to vote in municipal referendums and elections.
Foreign nationals in Geneva have had the right to vote at the municipal level since 2005, but this could soon change.
The local branch of the populist SVP announced on December 3rd that it will be launching a referendum to this effect at the beginning of 2026.
According to Lionel Dugerdil, president of the Geneva SVP branch, “the exceptional democratic prerogatives we possess should be reserved solely for Swiss citizens.”
“The right to vote, and even more so the right to stand for election, should in no way precede naturalisation but, on the contrary, constitute the culmination of a successful integration process,” he added. “Otherwise, people are not sufficiently informed about the Swiss political system and may not use a ballot correctly.”
The anti-immigration party argue the move to abolish the existing voting rights in Geneva “is a return to common sense, which dictates that one cannot participate in the decisions of the club without being a member.”
To bring this issue to the ballot box, the SVP will need to collect 5,619 valid signatures.
READ MORE: Switzerland’s denial of voting rights to foreigners motivated by fear
Voting rights for foreign nationals a hot topic
On November 30th, the vast majority of voters in the cantons of Vaud and Appenzell-Ausserrhoden rejected the moves to grant cantonal voting rights to foreigners living in their areas.
In Vaud, 63.6 percent of voters refused to grant foreign nationals who have resided in Switzerland for at least 10 years and in Vaud for three, the right to vote and/or to be elected at the cantonal level.
And in Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, voters were called upon to decide whether to adopt a new constitution; included therein was a point of contention among residents: whether local foreigners should be allowed to vote.
In the end, 77.8 percent of voters approved the new cantonal constitution, but 72.8 percent opposed political rights for foreigners.
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Only a few cantons have broken the mould by allowing their foreign residents to vote.
Neuchâtel and Jura are the only ones to give longtime foreign residents the right to vote on cantonal level.
Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura allow non-citizens to vote, elect officials, and stand for election at communal level. Conditions vary from one canton to another, but in most cases a certain length of stay and/or a residence permit are required.
Geneva, which has the largest foreign population in Switzerland (45 percent), grants foreigners voting rights at communal level, but they can’t run for office.
Basel-City, Graubünden, and Appenzell Ausserrhoden have authorised their communes to introduce the right to vote, the right to elect and the right to be elected.
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But few of the communes have actually introduced these measures
In Graubünden, only 10 of the canton’s 208 municipalities are allowing foreigners to vote: Bever, Bonaduz, Calfreise, Cazis, Conters im Prättigau, Fideris, Lüen, Masein, Portein, and Schnaus.
Only three of Appenzell Ausserrhoden’s 20 municipalities — Wald, Speicher, and Trogen — granted voting rights to non-citizens.
In an opinion piece for The Local, writer Clare O’Dea argued that the denial of more voting rights for foreigners in Switzerland is motivated by fear.
She also believes the Swiss system of direct democracy does not favour foreigners’ rights.
“One of the flaws of direct democracy is that there is an inbuilt disincentive to broaden the pool of voters.
“Sadly, as long as Swiss voters are afraid of their neighbours with foreign surnames having a say in how their shared society is run, nothing will change,” she said.
READ ALSO: Why shouldn’t foreign residents in Switzerland have more voting rights?
