Swiss Review 3/2019

Swiss Review / May 2019 / No.3 27 Federal votes The Federal Council determines voting proposals at least four months before the voting date. National Council elections take place on 20 October 2019. For information about the National Council elec- tions, visit www.ch.ch/en/elections2019 . Everything you need to know about voting proposals (voting pamphlets, committees, recommendations by Parliament and the Federal Council, electronic voting, etc.) is available at www.admin.ch/votes or via the Federal Chancellery’s VoteInfo app. Popular initiatives The following federal popular initiatives have already been launched at the time of going to press (deadline for the collection of signatures in brackets): ■ ■ ‘Keep health insurance premiums to no more than 10% of income (Premium relief initiative)’ (26.08.2020) ■ ■ ‘Include the CH-sign on our vehicle number plates (Number plate initiative)’ (05.09.2020) ■ ■ ‘For a more secure and trustworthy democracy (E-voting moratorium)’ (12.09.2020) ■ ■ ‘For the future of our natural world and landscape (biodiversity initiative)’ (26.09.2020) ■ ■ ‘Against concreting over our countryside (country- side initiative)’ (26.09.2020) The list of pending popular initiatives is available inGer- man at www.bk.admin.ch > Politische Rechte > Volksin- itiativen > Hängige Volksinitiativen The original interview was published on swissinfo.ch, the online service of the Swiss Broadcasting Company, which is available in ten languages. Do you live abroad too? Then tag your Instagram photos #WeAreSwissAbroad. “ Being Swiss is an essential part of my identity ” Even as a child, François Schwalb, who was born in South Africa, was interested in his father’s homeland. Today the 30-year-old, who works in the fruit and vegetable industry, lives with his family and numerous animals. My job: I’m a qualified minister in the Dutch Reformed Church where I work part time. Full-time I work as a marketer and logistics coordi- nator within the fresh produce industry. We also export fruit to Eu- rope, including avocados. My South Africa: For the past five years we’ve been living in Mooketsi, Limpopo province. Interesting fact: in Limpopo less than 3% of the population is of European descent. We live on a farm with open spaces and freedom, and we love to cycle and walk every day after work with the dogs. Life is exciting and diverse with daily sur- prises. My Switzerland: We lived in Switzerland when I was 7–9 years old. We also visited in 2008 and again in 2018. It is very organised, clean, wealthy, respects tradition and is a leader in innovation and technology. I like the organised lifestyle, public transport, drink- able water almost anywhere, its rich history and its bright and se- cure future. My heart: Being Swiss is an essential part of my identity, of how I see and understand myself, my parents and siblings. I’m very inter- ested in many aspects of the country and read up a lot on a weekly basis – and the more I read, the more I love Switzerland. THE SWISS ABROAD ON INSTAGRAM Responsible for the FDFA official communications: Simone Flubacher, Relations with the Swiss Abroad Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. +41 800 24 7 365 or +41 58 465 33 33 www.eda.admin.ch , email: helpline@eda.admin.ch