Ironduke

Swiss reject citizenship reform

Swiss voters have rejected plans to relax the country's strict naturalisation laws.

Early results and exit polls from the state broadcaster indicate two referendum proposals to loosen tough citizenship rules have been rejected.

Being born in the country will continue to be no guarantee of citizenship.

The government had said it wanted to make procedures easier, saying too many people were left out of the country's system of direct democracy.

Identity crisis

But right-wing parties launched a bitter campaign against the proposals, claiming they would undermine Swiss identity.

Early polls indicate that the majority of voters were against a plan to give citizenship to Swiss-born children of immigrants.

A second poll on granting citizenship to foreigners raised and schooled in the country was also rejected.

"This is a sad day for Switzerland," said Claudio Micheloni, head of a migrants' integration association told the Associated Press.

Switzerland's regional voting patterns were divided along linguistic lines with western French-language areas accepting the proposals and eastern German-language Alpine regions voting against.

Job restrictions

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Berne says becoming Swiss is a long, complicated and expensive process.

The decision is made locally: village communities approve or reject citizenship applications.

That fits into the Swiss system of direct democracy, where the people have the last word on every political decision, she says, but the system is also open to abuse.

Of a population of only seven million, Switzerland now has 1.5 million foreigners.

Most were born in the country or are long-term residents. But they cannot vote and are barred from certain jobs, such as the police.

In several Swiss communities, applications from candidates with a Yugoslav or African background are regularly rejected, even if they satisfy all the legal requirements.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3690668.stm

eMGee

Switzerland is doing quite well. Slowly, Europe is waking up!