Popular initiative "Against the building of new minarets" (2009)
Categories: State and Politics › Votes › Social policy
The proposal
The popular initiative intends to ban the building of new minarets in Switzerland. The controversy refers to construction of minarets, which has been subject to legal and political controversy in Switzerland during the 2000s.
This referendum originates from action on 1 May 2007, when a group of right of centre politicians mainly from the Swiss People's Party and the Federal Democratic Union, the so-called Egerkinger Committee launched a federal popular initiative that sought a constitutional ban on minarets. The Swiss government recommended that the proposed amendment be rejected as inconsistent with basic principles of the constitution.
As of the date of the 2009 vote, there were four minarets in Switzerland, attached to mosques in Zurich, Geneva, Winterthur and Wangen bei Olten. These existing minarets are not affected by the ban.
Results
The initiative was accepted by the electorate and the cantons.
Voter turnout: 53.4%
Votes in favour: 57.5%
Text Sources
- Federal Chancellery (2009): Vote documentation
Data Sources
- Atlas of Switzerland (2010): Basiskarte 1:500.000
- Atlas of Switzerland: Administrative Einheiten 1:500.000 (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)
- FSO (2019): Volksabstimmungen (Ergebnisse Ebene Gemeinde seit 1981)
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): Gemeindegrenzen GG25
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): Landeskarte 1:500.000
Data Owners: Atlas of Switzerland (AoS), Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo), Federal Chancellery
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