No nationwide votes were held in Switzerland on Sunday but voters in several cantons weighed in on some issues of regional importance. These are the results.
Aargau
The popular initiative called ‘Equal Pay in the Canton of Aargau – Now!’, which called for stricter gender pay analysis than already mandated by federal law, was rejected by 63 percent of the canton’s voters.
Zurich
At stake at the ballot box was a proposed amendment to the tax law, seeking to lower corporate income taxes by 1 percent to make Zurich more tax-attractive for companies, consequently creating more jobs and income as well.
However, 54.5 percent of voters rejected this proposal.
Basel-City
Voters weighed in on the initiative calling for 50 km of bicycle priority lanes to be created throughout the canton, at the cost of 60 million francs.
This was turned down by 62.7 percent of voters; 59.2 percent, however, accepted the ‘watered-down’ counterproposal — 40 km of new cycle routes for 23.9 million francs of public money.
Geneva
A vast majority of voters — 84.3 percent — accepted the canton’s counter-proposal to Green Liberal Party’s initiative for more rapid transition to solar energy.
The new law will provide for mandatory solar panel installations in all new buildings.
St. Gallen
Some 64.8 percent of voters rejected a proposal for longer store opening hours.
This was the fourth time that the canton of St. Gallen had voted on extended hours. The three proposals from 1995, 2002 and 2004 were also defeated at the ballot box.
Solothurn
It’s a ‘yes’: 66 percent of voters approved a new dog tax, which will generate income to cover the costs of veterinary services in the canton.
It will be paid in addition to the dog tax already levied in the municipality of residence.
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There were some municipal votes as well
Some of Switzerland’s communities held votes on matters of budgets or expansion of local infrastructure.
But he most contentious one took place in Weinfelden, Thurgau, where a narrow majority ( 51.6 percent) voted against a planned Muslim burial ground in the local cemetery — that is, 70 special burial plots that meet the criteria of Islamic burial culture.
With this move, the majority of Weinfelden residents overturned a decision by their municipal council, which voted in favour of an amendment to the cemetery regulations last December.
It would have provided for burials according to Islamic tradition: graves facing south-east, to be aligned with Mecca.
However, a right-wing group, the Federal Democratic Union, launched a referendum against the municipal decision and called for a vote (successful, as it turned out) to prevent the planned Muslim graves.
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When is the next referendum scheduled for?
It will take place twice more this year: on September 28th and November 11th.
In fact, the Swiss clearly like to plan (far) in advance: They already have the dates for all the referendums for the next… 20 years.
