Voters in the canton of Geneva will head to the polls on June 14th to decide two distinctly Genevan questions: whether shops should open more often on Sundays and whether elected officials should be barred from wearing visible religious symbols in parliament.
The first referendum concerns retail opening hours. At present, shops in Geneva may open on Sundays only under strict conditions, including the existence of a collective bargaining agreement covering employees. Although the law already allows several exceptional openings each year, the absence of a new agreement since 2017 has effectively frozen the system.
The proposed reform would permit shops to open on two additional Sundays annually without requiring such an agreement. Supporters on the centre-right argue that the current rules unnecessarily handicap retailers, especially as online shopping and cross-border competition intensify. Geneva’s proximity to France means many residents already do part of their shopping abroad, where regulations are often more permissive.
Trade unions see matters differently. They warn that removing the collective-agreement requirement would weaken labour protections and gradually erode working conditions in a sector already characterised by relatively low pay and irregular hours. What appears to be a modest liberalisation, they argue, could establish a precedent for broader deregulation of Sunday work.
The second vote touches a more sensitive aspect of Genevan identity: secularism. In 2019 the canton introduced restrictions on the wearing of visible religious symbols by members of political institutions. Courts later struck down the measure, forcing lawmakers to revisit the issue. The cantonal parliament has now approved a revised version, automatically triggering a referendum.
Backers of the proposal—including the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the PLR/FDP and the Centre—say the measure is necessary to preserve the neutrality of public institutions. Opponents counter that it infringes fundamental freedoms while targeting a problem that scarcely exists in practice.
The debate reflects Geneva’s particular attachment to laïcité, a doctrine separating religion from the state. Unlike some other Swiss cantons, Geneva has long embraced a stricter interpretation of secularism, treating religion as a private matter that should remain distinct from public office.
Yet the referendum also illustrates the ambiguities of modern secular politics. Proponents frame the ban as a defence of neutrality; critics see it as a selective restriction on religious expression. In cosmopolitan Geneva, home to international organisations and diverse immigrant communities, such tensions are unlikely to disappear soon.
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