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Swiss reject plan to automatically expel foreign criminals Swiss reject plan to automatically expel foreign criminals
(about 4 hours later)
GENEVA — Swiss voters have rejected a proposal by a nationalist party to automatically expel foreigners who commit even low-level crimes, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported hours after polls closed at noon Sunday. GENEVA — Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to automatically expel foreigners who commit even low-level crimes, according to results, handing a setback to a popular nationalist party that had put forward the measure.
SRF cited political research group gfs.bern, which projected the measure would be rejected by 59 percent of voters based on partial results from some polling areas. The initiative was rejected Sunday by 59 percent of voters, the government Web site showed. It was the most controversial of a number of national and local issues in the referendum, propelling voter turnout to top more than 62 percent — which the state broadcaster said was the highest turnout since 1992.
The outcome comes as a blow to the Swiss People’s Party that had campaigned for the plan, and a turnaround from opinion polls last year which had predicted it would be accepted. The outcome comes as a blow to the Swiss People’s Party, which had campaigned for the plan, and was a turnaround from opinion polls last year.
Under its proposal, the law would have been changed to make expulsion part of the sentence for any foreigner, whether for severe crimes like murder or low-level crimes such as threatening officials or giving false testimony — if they are committed twice within a ten-year span. The Swiss government had opposed the measure. Federal councilor Simonetta Sommaruga praised a push by advocacy groups to help rebuff the measure, telling RTS television that voters had sent the message: “Human rights are important in our country: They should not be restricted.”
A broad coalition of political parties and legal experts came out against the plan in recent months, arguing that it was “inhuman” and would effectively create a two-tier justice system that treats Switzerland’s two million or so foreigners — about a quarter of the population — more harshly. Under the proposal, Swiss law would have been changed to make expulsion part of the sentence for any foreigner, whether for severe crimes like murder or low-level crimes such as threatening officials or giving false testimony — if committed twice in a ten-year span.
The People’s Party, which campaigns heavily against immigration, had claimed that a law Parliament proposed following a 2010 referendum on the issue didn’t go far enough because it gave judges room to consider the impact that expulsion would have. A broad coalition of political parties and legal experts had rejected the plan, saying it would effectively create a two-tier justice system that treats Switzerland’s two million or so foreigners — about a quarter of the population — more harshly.
Pascal Sciarini, A university of Geneva political scientist, said lawmakers will still be required to stiffen laws against foreigners who commit crimes following the results of the earlier referendum on the issue that has yet to be applied. Public debate over the issue was unusually fierce by Swiss standards. The People’s Party’s campaign posters showed a white sheep atop a Swiss flag, kicking away a black sheep. Opponents of the measure released an electronic ad at train stations showing a tattered swastika next to a large “No” to the referendum.
“There will be a law that will be applied that will lead to more expulsions,” Sciarini said. There will be a hardening of rules that will be a result of the first initiative pushed by the SVP,” he said, referring to the initials of the People’s party in German.
The federal statistics office estimates that over 3,000 additional foreigners could be expelled based on the pending legislation.
Public debate over the extended plan was unusually fierce by Swiss standards, raising voter turnout.
The People’s Party’s campaign posters showed a white sheep atop a Swiss flag, kicking away a black sheep. Opponents of the proposal released an electronic advertisement at major train stations showing a tattered swastika next to a large “No” to the referendum and a list showing “2016 Switzerland” after 1933 Nazi Germany and 1948 in apartheid South Africa.
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Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.