ONLINE FORUM - The September 27 Popular Voting Day: Issues, Backgrounds and the Role of Public Media

14:00 - 15:30 CEST / Track 1:  Swiss Direct Democracy in Practice

Switzerland´s modern direct democracy is back on track: after postponing the May initiatives and referendums due to the Covid19-lockdown, eligible citizens will decide until September 27 if Switzerland shall continue its free movement agreement with the European Union, buy new military jets for more than 6 billion Swiss francs, allowing wolfs to be hunted, introducing a paternal leave reserved for fathers and reforming its tax code regarding child care deductions. Many cities and cantons of Switzerland are urging voters to use mail-in-options as they want to limit the people turning up at polling stations. In this panel with leading journalists from public service media “Swissinfo” we will discuss the issues at stake, the backgrounds to these decisions as well as the impact of the pandemic onto the processes of direct democracy.

Online Forum Conference Guide