THEODORA PETER No, no and no again: the last vote of 2024 did not turn out well for the government or parliament. The Swiss electorate turned down three out of four proposals by the Federal Palace: besides the expansion of the highways, two relaxations of tenancy law that had the tenants’ association up in arms were also rejected. Only the standardised financing of insured healthcare benefits received the green light from voters. The Fifth Switzerland was more receptive to the authorities’ proposals on 24 November: unlike the majority of voters, the Swiss Abroad actually voted in favour of financing the motorway expansion and backed one of the controversial amendments to tenancy law (see charts). In so doing, they agreed with the Federal Council and parliament on three of the four proposals. This confirms the trend whereby the Fifth Switzerland follows the official line more closely when voting. The success of the left-green opposition Confidence in the government seems to have broken down, at least within the country. In the first year of the new legislative period, the government won a mere seven out of 12 votes. The Left triumphed five times in 2024 – most memorably when the SP and unions were successful with their initiative to introduce a 13th OASI pension payment (“Review 3/2024”). The electorate stops plans for motorway expansion On 24 November 2024, voters rejected the planned five-billion-franc expansion of the motorways, with 52.7 per cent voting against it. Voters also disagreed with the federal authorities on two proposed amendments to tenancy law. Financing the expansion of the national highways 0 5 1015202530354045 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 57,3% Across Switzerland, only 47.3 per cent voted in favour of the planned six extensions of the motorways. In contrast, the Fifth Switzerland voted strongly in favour of the works, with 57.3 per cent in favour of the financing, placing it in the minority along with the voters in 11 cantons. Standardised financing of health insurance benefits 0 5 1015202530354045 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 58.8% A majority (53.3 per cent) gave the green light to the new financing model in the healthcare sector. The Fifth Switzerland approved the proposal even more emphatically. The voters’ overall response to this bill revealed a distinct division between French-speaking Switzerland and the rest of the country. Swiss Abroad Swiss Abroad Standardised financing of health insurance benefits – yes votes in percent Financing the expansion of the national highways – yes votes in percent These victories for the Left at the polls are remarkable given that parliament moved markedly to the right in the federal elections of autumn 2023. Against this backdrop, the triple no is a signal to the power politics of the centreright parties: SVP, FDP and The Centre. Although they set the tone in the government and parliament, the people are clearly singing a different tune. Women are more sceptical than men about cars On 24 November, the Greens joined the SP in the winners’ camp. The ecological lobby struck a chord with the public through its campaign against excessive highway expansion, (“Review 5/2024”), as shown by a survey conducted after the vote. Besides climate-related concerns, people were also worried about more roads bringing more traffic. This argument from the anti-motorway lobby resonated most among female voters, 60 per cent of whom voted against the proposal. Men, on the other hand, were more sympathetic towards motorised transport: 56 per cent approved the financing, which, at least in the eyes of the yes camp, was simply a matter of relieving motorway congestion in a few areas. Maybe the yes camp was overly confident: its slogan “For a Switzerland that moves forward” failed to convince the majority. Political scientist and pollster Michael Herman also saw the rejection of the motorway expansion as an exSwiss Review / January 2025 / No.1 12 Politics
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