Ensuring Equal Suffrage: Switzerland Abolishes Previous Voting Limitations
The Council of States, the upper house of the Swiss parliament, has made a historic decision to grant the right to vote and stand for election to all individuals with disabilities. This move follows the approval of Motion 24.4266 by both the Swiss National Council and the Council of States.
The current provision in the federal constitution (Article 136) has been a barrier for thousands of Swiss citizens, excluding those 'who are deprived of their civil rights due to mental illness or mental deficiency' from exercising political rights. This provision, which affected approximately 16,000 Swiss men and women with cognitive impairments, has been deemed incompatible with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) in a 2023 report by the Federal Council.
The vote is a significant step towards making Swiss politics and society more accessible for people with disabilities, as there is still room for improvement in this area. The decision underscores the need to abolish the discriminatory provision in the federal constitution, a move that will necessitate a referendum.
The implementation of the motion requires the removal of the discriminatory text from the constitution. The Federal Council is now tasked with implementing the motion, and the date for the referendum is yet to be announced.
The vote is a success of the first Disability Session of 2023, which demanded that no one should be excluded from the right to vote due to a disability. The decision is seen as a strong signal for equality and self-determination, sending a clear message to the Swiss electorate about the equal treatment and contribution of people with disabilities in the population.
Organizations advocating for the inclusion and rights of people with disabilities, such as Inclusion Handicap and Pro Infirmis, have welcomed the decision. Islam Alijaj, a Zurich resident and the first politician with cerebral palsy to enter the National Council, has been following the debate closely.
Several cantons, including Geneva, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Zurich, Zug, and Solothurn, are also pursuing solutions to change the corresponding provision in their constitutions. In Solothurn, activists Lukas Paul Spichiger and Simone Rusterholz have proposed allowing even those under full legal guardianship to vote and elect at the cantonal level.
Philipp Schüpp of the disability organization Pro Infirmis is confident that the people will put an end to the discrimination, marking a new era of inclusivity and equal rights for individuals with disabilities in Switzerland.
