Overview of all the votes on 24 November 2024 Credit to increase motorway capacity In 2023, parliament endorsed a formal step to increase national motorway capacity: a credit of 5.3 billion francs to fund six different projects that will see the construction of additional lanes as well as new tunnels on heavily frequented sections of motorway. A 40-strong alliance of organisations and parties opposes the projects, calling them harmful, expensive and pointless. Centre-right and right-wing politicians who support the bill say that the projects are solely about relieving congestion (see main article). Landlord/tenant rights I: Stricter rules on subletting Tenants who wish to sublet an apartment or room will in future require written consent from the owner – and will also have to provide more information on the intended subletting. Verbal consent has been sufficient until now. Tenants who break the rules could have their rental agreements terminated. The Swiss Tenants’ Association and the left-green parties oppose the changes. Landlord/tenant rights II: Termination for personal use made easier Parliament has approved a bill that would make it easier for landlords to terminate tenancies if they want to set aside their property for personal use. Until now, landlords have had to prove that they need their property “urgently” for personal use or for use by close relatives in order to terminate an existing rental agreement. The left-wing parties call the bill a “brazen attack by the landlord lobby” on tenants’ rights, while centre-right and right-wing politicians think the changes are fair. Standardised health insurance funding model Every area of the healthcare sector – outpatients, inpatients, and care – is currently subject to different funding regimes. By introducing a standardised funding model, parliament hopes to incentivise cost savings, e.g. more outpatient treatment instead of expensive hospital stays. Potential annual savings would total 440 million francs per annum. Switzerland’s public services union (VPOD/ SSP) opposes the reform, saying it will lead to a decline in healthcare working conditions and in the quality of care provided. francs a year. When goods and services take longer to get from A to B, they become more expensive. Another argument put forward by the Yes campaign is that the projects will provide relief to residential areas, with free-flowing traffic on Switzerland’s main arteries helping to reduce traffic on alternative routes. If commuters have fewer traffic jams to worry about, they will be less inclined to make detours onto local roads or neighbourhoods. And this will improve quality of life for people in towns and cities. Three other proposals will be put to the electorate in November (see box). For Swiss Abroad who own and let property in Switzerland, votes on two bills affecting landlord/tenant rights are of particular significance. built over 60 years ago no longer meets the current needs of people and businesses, says Thurgau SVP National Councillor and businesswoman Diana Gutjahr. “Workers stuck in traffic jams are unable to Yes campaign: www.zusammen-vorwaertskommen.ch No campaign: www.autobahnwahn.ch “The notion that you can prevent traffic congestion by building roads is a relic from the last century.” FRANZISKA RYSER, NATIONAL COUNCILLOR FOR THE GREENS (CANTON OF ST. GALLEN), FROM THE NO CAMPAIGN work.” And they can’t just commute by train instead, she argues. Some 48,800 hours of congestion were recorded across Switzerland’s national road network in 2023, 22 per cent more than in the previous year. According to Gutjahr, traffic congestion generates costs of around 1.2 billion 15
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