Swiss Direct Democracy in Crisis: Fraudulent Signatures Spark Nationwide Investigation

Swiss prosecutors are investigating fraudulent signatures collected to trigger referendums, a critical element of the country's direct democracy. The Federal Chancellery has lodged a criminal complaint, alleging companies engaged in voter fraud to amass the required signatures. Investigations are ongoing, with significant evidence indicating widespread irregularities.

Swiss prosecutors have initiated a fraud investigation into the collection of fraudulent signatures aimed at triggering referendums, an essential feature of the country's direct democracy. The Federal Chancellery, responsible for overseeing elections, filed criminal charges against unknown individuals with the federal prosecutor.

Federal Chancellor Viktor Rossi expressed grave concerns about the situation, highlighting that falsifying signatures for financial gain undermines the essence of direct democracy. The urgency to gather enough signatures has led some campaigns to hire companies, which allegedly submitted false data to meet the requirements.

The investigation has revealed that false signatures were involved in around 12 popular initiatives. Despite these issues, no referendums are believed to have occurred due to the fraudulent activities. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has launched several probes, including house searches and confiscations, and aims to uncover the extent of the fraud. Tighter signature checks and calls to ban paid signature collections have emerged as key responses to this scandal.

(With inputs from agencies.)