The proposal

Municipal citizenship is an important first step towards obtaining a Swiss passport. The popular initiative “For democratic naturalization” aims to empower municipalities to independently determine the procedures and responsibilities for granting municipal citizenship. The resulting popular votes on naturalization would be final and therefore no longer subject to judicial review.

Foreigners who wish to become naturalized and thus Swiss citizens must meet the requirements of their canton of residence, municipality of residence, and the federal government. The naturalization procedure is determined by the cantons or, if provided for in cantonal law, by the municipalities. There is no right to naturalization unless the cantons expressly provide for this. Rejected naturalization applications can be challenged in court, and in cases of suspected violations of fundamental rights such as discrimination or violation of the right to a fair hearing, even before the Federal Supreme Court.

The popular initiative seeks to change this system of jurisdiction and demands that

• the municipalities be able to decide autonomously which body may grant municipal citizenship;
• a decision on naturalization made by this body is final and can no longer be challenged.

The popular initiative is a reaction to two Federal Supreme Court rulings from 2003 that impose an obligation on municipalities to initiate constitutional review proceedings.

Results

The initiative was rejected by the electorate and the cantons.

Voter turnout: 45.2%
Votes in favour: 36.2%