Despite the case of falsified signatures during collection for popular initiatives or referendums, the National Political Institutions Commission does not want to modify the law. In particular, it refuses to prohibit the remuneration of people who collect signatures.
The case broke out in the fall of 2024, when media revealed that commercial enterprises were suspected of having falsified signatures. Subsequently, new abusive practices were discovered.
>> Read on this subject: Survey of possible fraud when collecting signatures for popular initiatives
Several criminal complaints have been filed. The Confederation took first measures in terms of control and monitoring. The Federal Chancellery has drawn up a code of conduct for initiative committees and signature crop organizations, focusing on a branch self -regulation.
>> Read also: A code of conduct for signature harvesting for initiatives and referendums
The scandal also reacted the elected officials and elected officials from all stripes under the federal dome. The Greens have notably filed a parliamentary initiative aimed at prohibiting the remunerated harvest of signatures. But by 14 votes against 10 and 1 abstention, the commission rejected the text, believing that a prohibition would go too far, indicate the services of the Parliament on Friday.
Proposals of the rejected left
For the Commission, making a distinction between organizations collecting signatures as lucrative and the others would not be possible. In addition, the prohibition could, she said, be bypassed. In the same vein, the Commission refused, by 14 votes to 9 and 1 abstention, another initiative of the Vert-ES requesting the obligation to have an authorization to collect signatures as lucrative.
By 14 votes to 8 and 3 abstentions, she also opposed the name of the person responsible for the signatures harvesting appears on the list concerned, as Bruno Storni (PS/TI) wishes in another parliamentary initiative. The request implies that valid signatures are considered non -valid as soon as the person’s name responsible for the list is not indicated correctly.
Different minorities of the Commission support parliamentary initiatives. They believe that the numerous cases of falsification that occurred in confidence in democracy and that it is therefore necessary to take on legislative measures.
Electronic harvesting tests
In the process, the Commission agreed, by 15 votes to 10, to include in the law the possibility of collecting signatures by electronic means, as requested by the Federal Council. The tests will be able to relate to optional referendums, popular initiatives and lists of candidates for elections to the National Council.
Last December, the Council of States asked that signatures for popular initiatives and referendums be collected by means of digital channels. The National gave his approval, while specifying that the harvest of physical initials should remain possible. The Federal Council did not want to go too fast, pleading for smaller tests first.
ats/asch
