Swiss government finds itself stuck in a ‘vicious circle’ of vote defeats

On Sunday, Swiss voters rejected a plan, backed by the government and parliament, to expand certain parts of the motorway network. Martina Mousson, a political scientist at the gfs.bern research institute, examines why authorities again lost out at the ballot box. SWI swissinfo.ch: What’s your overall view on Sunday’s vote results? Martina Mousson: I was impressed by the battle around the two changes to Swiss tenancy law, which remained very close for a very long time. Results which are so tight suggest a strong polarisation in society; we can see that in three of the four proposals that were decided this Sunday. SWI: Close results risk leading to more contentious debate and interpretation after the vote... M.M.: Yes, that’s exactly what’s likely to happen with the motorway expansion plan, because the funds earmarked for road traffic have already been decided. The question is already being asked: what should be done with the billions of francs [which were budgeted]? The controversy ...