In Switzerland, the populist right loses the battle of the “Covid-19 law”

Weeks of invective on the part of very upset opponents; a virulent campaign, with death threats on social networks against elected officials, and references to a “health dictatorship” of Nazi obedience (we could even see a Swiss cross “armed” with syringes transforming it into a swastika); a strong poster campaign against the health pass, funded by the populist party UDC … It is in this unusually tense context that the Swiss voted, Sunday, November 28, on the “Covid-19 law” by which the authorities are piloting the pandemic response.

In a country where federalism, and therefore the autonomy of the cantons, is not an empty word, this election had the value of supreme test on the government’s room for maneuver while the fifth wave of the virus is already hitting many people hard. cantons of eastern Switzerland – that of Appenzell has experienced an incidence of more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for two weeks.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Switzerland, the fifth wave hits the least vaccinated population in Western Europe

With a very strong participation (65%) unprecedented for half a century, the result is clear. With 62% of yes, the population supports the policy of the Federal Council, to the great relief of the Minister of Health: “We thus continue to have the tools to fight this pandemic; we do not say yes or no to the disappearance of a virus, that would be too good “, said Alain Berset.

The diversion of this evacuated vote, Bern will be able to focus on the arrival of the Omicron variant in the Confederation, where a first probable case was detected on Sunday evening, according to the Federal Office of Public Health. All the cantons accepted the law challenged by the referendum, with the exception of two German-speaking entities, the half-canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes and that of Schwyz, where some municipalities opposed it by 80%. The “no” map also very closely matches that of the vaccination coverage rate. The less people are vaccinated, the more they defy health policy.

Whether or not to toughen protective measures

It now remains to be seen to what extent this very clear result will mitigate the divisions that have emerged in recent months in a country unaccustomed to heated confrontations, even if they have remained verbal. “Worrisome fault lines have appeared even in families, they will now have to be overcome, because referendums aim to strengthen social cohesion”, commented on Sunday evening in the newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Before giving yourself in a somewhat contradictory way to this warning: “Accepting the verdict of the ballot box also means staying away from people who break the rules and spread conspiracy theories. “

You have 26.98% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

source site-29