Bern: Switzerland has held a popular vote on two of its major national issues. The first demanded that authorities take more action to protect biodiversity, while the second was a government-backed reform on pension funding.
Projected results show that voters rejected both proposals. The “biodiversity initiative,” which sought to amend laws to reserve additional land for conservation besides the borders of areas already protected in the Alpine Republic, had already been rejected by the parliament and government.
The Green Liberal Party of Switzerland expressed disappointment with the result and stated that more work needs to be done to protect the environment. Half of Switzerland’s habitats and a third of its species were threatened, the party claimed.
“This problem will remain regardless of the outcome of the vote,” the party said in a statement. Over 60% of voters rejected the plan, according to a projected result published by national broadcaster SRF.
Additionally, voters strongly criticised government-backed reform of pension financing. Switzerland’s pension system consists of three pillars: state, occupational and private pension provision. The basic state pension, a compulsory pension fund that employers and employees must pay, and voluntary top-ups into private funds and investments.
According to the government, there is a finance deficit in the second pillar as a result of growing life expectancy and low financial market returns. In order to implement the reform, employers and employees would have to increase their contributions to the required occupational funds. Unions who called for the referendum said that people would be forced to pay more while seeing their pension payments decline.
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