The foreign minister also rejected the accusation that his party, the Radical-Liberal Party, was divided on the issue.
Keystone-SDA / Anthony Anex
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis defended the government’s decision to make the agreements with the European Union subject to an optional rather than a mandatory referendum.
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It is clear that a double majority of the people and the cantons would be a “safer decision”, admitted Cassis. However, he warned against a domino effect: “If they make this decision light-heartedly, then there are other issues that also generate gut feelings,” he told Swiss public television SRF on Saturday.
According to the foreign minister, there could be demands for a double majority for free trade agreements with China or Latin American countries, for example. “If it’s such an easy political balancing act, anyone can come along and claim something.” The federal government is the first guarantor that the constitution is applied correctly.
Cassis also rejected the accusation that his party, the Radical-Liberal Party, was divided on the issue. “What they call divided is what I call diversity of opinion. That is the quintessence of democracy,” he said in response to media reports that Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter was in favor of a mandatory referendum.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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