Posted on November 26, 2018 at 4:55 PM
Swiss Voters Decide on Insurance Company Spying, Protecting Cow Horns, and Putting Swiss Law First
Switzerland’s direct democracy system can often make a big difference when it comes to making plans for the future of this nation. Recently, Swiss voters have brought several vital decisions, the most important of which include support for insurance company spying, giving international court ruling advantage over local laws, as well as protection of cow horns.
The Swiss back insurance company spying
This Sunday, Swiss voters supported a law that will allow insurance firms to spy on those suspected of welfare cheats. While many were concerned regarding the violation of their right to privacy, the measure was deemed necessary by the majority of the country’s voters.
Those suspected of making false claims for the purpose of manipulating the system were spied on for a long time. However, this practice was halted in 2016 due to the European Court of Human Rights ruling. Now, the government insists that surveillance of this kind is necessary to stop fraudulent attempts and keep the costs low for all of the country’s citizens. The proposition ended up being backed by around 64.7% of votes, despite the strong opposition.
Voters say “no” to Swiss law being put first
Another proposal that voters had to make a decision on revolved around which laws and court rulings should go first — those of Switzerland or international ones. While the attempt was to make Swiss law superior, voters stood strongly against this decision due to the fact that it would have major consequences.
While the right-wing Swiss People’s Party claimed that this is a necessary measure in order to protect the national sovereignty, around 66% of voters said “no” to the proposal. They feared that doing so might damage the country’s neutrality and that it may put hundreds of vital trade deals at risk.
Preserving cow horns proposal got rejected
Finally, the third big issue revolved around a proposed constitutional amendment to preserve cow horns. The proposal was headed by a livestock farmer, Armin Capaul. Capaul collected over 100,000 signatures in order to force a national vote on the issue, and he got inspired to do so while talking to his herd of cattle.
The proposal got rejected, as only 45% of voters were in favor of it. However, Capaul stated that he is still not done in his attempts to protect the cattle from human abuse. At the very least, he has already notified the entire country, as well as the world, that these animals are unnecessarily suffering.
