Swiss voters ponder citizenship and post offices
Swiss voters had to decide Sunday whether they want to loosen the country’s tough rules on naturalizing foreigners, approve a national maternity leave program and halt a cost-cutting campaign to shut post offices.
Referendums are the cornerstone of Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, and citizens cast ballots several times a year, often facing a bewildering array of questions. Turnout among the nation’s 4.7 million voters rarely exceeds 50 percent.
The citizenship referendum has stoked bitter debate.
About one in five of the 7.2 million people living in Switzerland are foreigners _ one of the highest proportions in Europe partly because Swiss law makes citizenship relatively hard to obtain.
Foreigners have to wait at least 12 years. Swiss-born children and even grandchildren of immigrants do not qualify automatically.
Under two separate proposals, the grandchildren would get citizenship automatically, and children born in Switzerland _ or at least raised here from an early age _ would quickly become eligible. Voters are predicted to back the first proposal strongly, but a closer result is expected for the second.
Right-wing opponents say the changes will undermine what it means to be Swiss. They have faced widespread condemnation for their campaign, which has featured Osama bin Laden’s photo on a Swiss ID card and advertisements claiming Switzerland could be taken over by Muslims.
The post office referendum is more benign but also divisive. Polls show no clear majority either way.
The government-owned post office, one of the most cherished emblems of Swiss life, is facing pressure from market forces and the digital revolution.
Created in 1849, Swiss Post helped knit together a newborn state split among speakers of four languages _ German, French, Italian and Romansch. Unifying national icons such as William Tell graced its stamps.
To ordinary Swiss, the post office is more of a symbol of fiscal steadfastness than the country’s big name banks. Virtually all bills sent to households include a form for payment at the post office counter, and retirees can collect their pensions there.
Switzerland has been privatizing its communications industry and has closed 668 post offices over the past three years, many in small communities. Ordinary Swiss objected in large enough numbers to amass the 100,000 signatures needed to force the referendum in hopes of halting the closures.
Critics say the revolt could cost taxpayers 500 million Swiss francs (US$399 million; €324 million) a year while hurting Swiss Post’s ability to compete against e-mail and courier services.
Swiss Post is actually highly profitable, but the earnings come from loans and stock-market trading offered by its financial services wing.
Even if other projected closures go ahead, Switzerland will have a post office for every 2,905 residents, compared with one for every 5,000 in other rich nations, according to U.N. data.
