Notes from the Federal Palace lies apart in such cases because the mother – as an example – is Brazilian. We decided that the whole family could travel back to Switzerland together. Switzerland is committed to addressing the concerns of the “Fifth Switzerland”, but it’s not always successful. I’m sure you’ve heard the complaints of those who want to vote in Switzerland, but in fact cannot. Yes – and I completely understand their criticism, especially since I myself was a Swiss Abroad. During my time in Argentina, I received the ballot envelope together with the access code that allowed me to vote via e-voting. When the canton of Geneva no longer wanted to continue its e voting system, which was also used by other cantons, and the Swiss Post’s system displayed flaws, it set us back a long way. To make matters worse, the current debate on e-voting in Switzerland is quite different from that in the “Fifth Switzerland”. Different in what way? In the debate within Switzerland, security concerns are clearly at the forefront. There must be absolutely zero possibility of fraud because public trust in voting results is a tremendously important asset. Concern about this asset explains the resistance in Switzerland. Frommy personal point of view, it would be worth examining the possibility of decoupling e-voting, i.e. allowing the “Fifth Switzerland” to use e-voting without launching it for the whole of Switzerland. This seems to me a valid option worth considering – alongside solving the technical challenges that still need to be addressed. In any case, political interest is high in the “Fifth Switzerland”, with more and more people registering to vote. This clearly illustrates the close connection they feel to Switzerland – and their great interest in what is happening here. The “Fifth Switzerland” also represents substantial political potential. This is reflected, for example, by the fact that all the major parties are paying attention to this target group. However, the political participation of the Swiss Abroad is still not overly enthusiastic. There are 620,000 eligible voters and only 210,000 registered voters so far, but the trend is rising. We’re all getting older – and the FDFA is currently devoting a lot of attention to “Aging abroad”. Would it be true to say you work in a very “senior-focused” way? No, because we have to look at the overall picture. We pay just as much attention to the inclusion of young people, e.g. when they come of age or by teaching them about Swiss culture and giving them a connection to Switzerland. Our current focus on senior citizens in the “Aging abroad” project is well justified. On the one hand, the number of people over 65 is steadily increasing in many countries; people are getting older. On the other hand, we see a growing number of them emigrating after retirement; people are becoming more mobile. Of course, this also means that new issues become more relevant. For example? One question that is becoming more important is: how do aging Swiss Abroad react to suddenly finding themselves all alone? Or what about elderly people who begin to suffer from dementia? Or seniors who have never bothered to write a living will? Such things also pose challenges for the Swiss representations. If we consciously aim our attention at “Aging abroad”, then firstly our focus is on those who intend to emigrate. The emphasis here is on prevention. They need to prepare themselves and consider the question of what growing older abroad means. Secondly, we address those who are already living abroad, getting older – and then retiring abroad. The priority in that case is more on services that might become necessary. For example, as already mentioned, when someone develops Alzheimer’s. A tough topic full of tough questions. Put simply, is “Aging abroad” an awareness raising campaign? Absolutely. Ultimately, we are promoting increased self-responsibility, in relation to one’s own aging in this case. If you want to raise awareness, you have to first be capable of reaching the diverse, multilingual community spread across the globe... Thankfully, we can take advantage of our excellent network of representations – our embassies, consulates and honorary consuls. “The ‘Fifth Switzerland’ also represents substantial political potential.” 25
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