On Sunday, Swiss citizens went to the polls to vote on the latest batch of cantonal and federal referendums. November 24 was a bruising day for the government, with three of their four proposals being rejected at the ballot box.

Switzerland votes on four federal referendums

As part of the November round of Swiss referendums, voters had their say on four separate proposals which were approved by parliament or the Federal Council, but garnered enough opposition to force a vote. The first was a plan to spend up to 5 billion francs on expanding the motorway network in Switzerland, in a bid to curtail the 48.000 hours of congestion felt by drivers every year.

The government argued that the current road network cannot handle the number of cars already on the road, adding that the expansion would help reduce traffic and help authorities repair existing infrastructure. Opponents argued that the “unsustainable” expansion would have the opposite effect, increasing traffic through induced demand and creating more noise and air pollution.

Swiss citizens reject motorway expansion

Despite the Federal Council’s best efforts, the latter view won out, with 52,7 percent of voters rejecting the plans, the first time Swiss voters have rejected motorway expansion on the national level. The no vote was driven by voters in rural and mountainous areas, and French-speaking Switzerland. By contrast, the plans were only approved in the north and eastern parts of German-speaking Switzerland (barring Basel and Zurich). 

"Today marks the beginning of the transport transition in Switzerland,” the Green Party wrote following the vote. Green Liberal National Councillor Beat Flach told SRF that he was overjoyed: "People have realised that mobility problems cannot simply be solved with more roads." All opposition parties have called for the money saved to be spent on improving public transport, cycling and other sustainable transport.

By contrast, Transport Minister Albert Rösti (SVP) said that they must “now analyse the situation calmly” when it comes to new motorway projects, though added that many of the cantons where the expansions would have been built voted in favour of the plan. Speaking to the national broadcaster, Centre State Councillor Fabio Regazzi argued that traffic jams remain a thorn in the economy’s side: "I have trouble understanding why this was not understood."

Switzerland rejects tenancy law changes

On November 24, voters also narrowly rejected two modifications to Swiss tenancy law that would have reinforced the rules and granted landlords additional powers when it comes to tenants subletting, and given them clearer powers to revoke tenancy agreements when they need their property for “personal use.” 

Despite the two proposals being approved by a majority of Swiss cantons, both failed to win the popular vote. Once again, the changes found the strongest support in German-speaking areas and their greatest opposition in the Romandie.

Swiss government out of touch when it comes to renters, opponents argue

Writing in a statement, the Swiss Tenants’ Association said the result was "a resounding slap in the face for the profit-driven real estate lobby". Amid record housing shortages and increases in the cost of renting a home in Switzerland, they argued the outcome reflected how out of touch parliament is when it comes to tenancy rights. 

For his part, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin (SVP) told SRF that the results showed that more balanced proposals were needed in the future. Speaking on behalf of the homeowners’ association, Centre State Councillor Brigitte Häberli-Koller explained that they had underestimated how big the backlash against the plans would be, adding that they had failed to convince the predominantly renting public that the changes were fair. 

Reforms to healthcare funding in Switzerland approved

In the one bright spot for the government, voters did accept reforms to the financing of Swiss healthcare. 53,3 percent voted in favour of the plans, carrying all but six Swiss cantons - all of whom are predominantly French-speaking.

Under the current system of financing, cantons are required to cover at least 55 percent of the cost of inpatient treatment (hospital and emergency care) and nearly half of care costs, while insurers cover all outpatient services (GPs, day visits to hospitals and therapies). Under the new system, cantons will cover at least 26,9 percent of healthcare costs across the board, while insurance firms will pay no more than 73,1 percent. 

The Federal Council hopes that the change would give both cantons and providers an incentive to make Swiss healthcare more affordable, and eliminate incentives to offer unnecessary treatments. Opponents feared that the change would have the opposite effect, adding extra costs to cantons or insurers which would be felt through either cuts to services or higher insurance premiums.

Supporters say plans will make healthcare cheaper and more efficient

"It is a milestone towards more outpatient treatments, towards more patient-oriented care and towards quality,” noted FDP National Councillor Regine Sauter. "People have realised that we need to reform the healthcare system. People don't want things to continue as they are," added Green Liberal National Councillor Patrick Hässig.

By contrast, Social Democratic National Councillor David Roth conceded that “with the health lobby, we were up against one of the most powerful lobbies in the country." Natacha Wey, the head of the referendum against the reform, said that they would be keeping a close eye on how the plans develop: “The supporters [of the referendum] have promised us a lot."

The result was met with more alarm among trade unions, with Unia calling for urgent measures to finance the healthcare system “in a socially acceptable” way.

Swiss referendums November 2024 results

Here are the official results of the Swiss federal referendums on November 24, 2024.

Expansion of the national motorways results

• Votes in favour: 1.181.557 (47,3 percent)
• Votes against: 1.316.500 (52,7 percent)
• Cantons in favour: 11
• Cantons against: 15

Tenancy law (subletting) results

• Votes in favour: 1.196.640 (48,4 percent)
• Votes against: 1.274.814 (51,6 percent)
• Cantons in favour: 16
• Cantons against: 10

Tenancy law (termination for personal use) results

• Votes in favour: 1.141.741 (46,2 percent)
• Votes against: 1.331.128 (53,8 percent)
• Cantons in favour: 14
• Cantons against: 12

Swiss healthcare financing reforms

• Votes in favour: 1.302.528 (53,3 percent)
• Votes against: 1.140.791 (46,7 percent)
• Cantons in favour: 20
• Cantons against: 6

When is the next round of referendums in Switzerland?

With an average turnout of 44,92 percent, participation has declined slightly compared to the votes in September (45 percent) - a trend that was attributed to the complexity of the tenancy and healthcare reforms being discussed. With the 2024 votes now done and dusted, the next set of federal referendums will take place on February 9, 2025.

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