Swiss voters reject plan to reduce pensions

The Swiss government will now have to seek new ways to reform the country’s national pension scheme after citizens on Sunday firmly rejected a proposal to cut benefits.

The referendum result – 72.7 percent voted against the scheme – marked a clear victory for left-wing parties and union groups who had lobbied against the reductions, which had won support from the federal government and a majority of parliament members.

“It’s a brusque yellow card that the people have just given to those backing the dismantling of the social system,” Christian Levrat, president of the socialist party, said after the vote.

The referendum was held after a coalition of left-wing groups appealed the government plan, which was designed to prevent the pension plan from going too far in debt.

A majority of voters in all 26 cantons opposed the plan, which was seen by a majority of legislators as necessary, given the aging population and growing life expectancy.

Turnout – around 45 percent - was relatively high for the vote on the issue, which galvanized public opinion.

Interior Minister Didier Burkhalter acknowledged in an interview with the Tribune de Genève that the political and economic climate was “unfavourable for difficult projects.”

Burkhalter said the government would have to develop a “transparent model” and seek a “balanced compromise” to resolve the pension issue.

Among other issues, 77.2 percent of voters backed a new article in the constitution regulating research on humans.

The text aims to assure the protection of the dignity of individuals while guaranteeing the freedom to conduct research.

Parliament now faces the challenge of drafting legislation to implement such guarantees, while resolving such issues as experiments on those incapable of discernment, such as young people.

On another issue, voters defeated a proposal for special prosecutors to defend the rights of animals in each canton, with 70.5 percent of those casting ballots opposing the idea.

Even in the canton of Zurich, which already has a lawyer devoted to animal rights under cantonal legislation, voters opposed the plan.

Swiss President Doris Leuthard said the result showed that the existing Swiss regulations with regard to the protection of animals are “good” and the issue in any case is not viewed by voters as a priority, given all the challenges faced by the country.

In other developments over the weekend, the left-wing strengthened its position on Zurich’s city council, where Socialist Mayor Corine Mauch was re-elected by a wide margin in municipal elections.

In Geneva, voters backed by a narrow margin a plan to require owners of buildings to retrofit them to make them more energy-efficient, among other measures.

A group representing renters opposed the plan because of concerns that such requirements will put upward pressure on housing costs in the canton.