Switzerland Engages in Debate Over Establishment of 27th Canton Comprising Swiss Expatriates

This month, something interesting happened in Switzerland. Members of the Green, Green Liberal (GLP), and Social Democratic (SP) Parties have shown their support for creating a 27th canton. This new idea is different from the earlier one of making a new canton by jokingly “re-conquering” Konstanz. Instead, they want to bring together Swiss citizens living abroad into one political group.

Swiss Officials Consider Adding 27th Canton

The GLP said they want to add a 27th canton that would help decide Swiss elections and referendums. They plan to talk about this when the parliament meets again. People are calling this proposed 27th canton the “fifth Switzerland,” and it would include about 800,000 Swiss people living abroad – which is around the same as the population of Canton Vaud.

A survey by the Organization of the Swiss Abroad (ASO) found that about 220,000 of these Swiss expats actually vote in elections. Supporters of the 27th canton idea, like SP spokesperson Lena Allenspach, say that the political importance of expat voices isn’t recognized enough right now. This is because their votes are counted with those from where they used to live, even though their interests might be different.

Allenspach also says that Swiss expats should have the chance to pick their own representatives who really care about their concerns. This could happen if the 27th canton had people in the Council of States and National Council. The Green Liberals also say that this idea would get more people involved in democracy, make electronic voting easier, and show that Switzerland is “open and connected.”

Challenges in Realizing the New Canton, Highlighted by Expat Organization

Nonetheless, the plan is met with opposition from FDP. The Liberals’ spokesperson Floriane Wyss mentioned to RTS that the interests of Swiss expats should be advocated for by the existing cantons. The broadcaster noted that while FDP, the Centre Party, and the Swiss People’s Party do support measures like digital voting, e-government, and simplified voting to assist expats in voting, most view the idea of a 27th canton as a step too ambitious.

The ASO also conceded that establishing a new canton would be a “challenging objective to attain,” as its realization would necessitate a constitutional change and a referendum. Moreover, they added that consolidating all expatriates into a single voting bloc might not be reasonable, given that, in the words of RTS, “there is little common ground among Swiss citizens abroad, aside from their nationality.”