The Swiss say no to a universal income for all! – Point

The Swiss Sunday overwhelmingly rejected, not surprisingly, the creation of a basic income for all, a revolutionary project that has led to much debate, early trends data by gfs.bern polling institute for public television. Not surprising when one remembers that in 2012, the Swiss had already refused to take their paid leave from four to ten weeks, fearing a decrease in their competitiveness. The polls have closed at noon (10:00 GMT) and the final results will be known only in the evening.

According to final results, 76.9% of voters said no to this controversial project. The turnout was 46%. “The Swiss have found Sunday realistic”, commented on the channel RTS political scientist Andreas Ladner of the University of Lausanne. “Getting paid without working, it would have been a big step. The initiative was not very clear, it was primarily intended to supply a discussion. “Only a few municipalities in the cantons of Jura and Vaud and some districts of Geneva and Zurich supported the proposal.

” An old Marxist dream “

Despite the final failure the consultation organizers celebrated what they called their “partial victory”. “We are very happy,” said the Swiss agency ATS one of the fathers of the initiative, Ralph Kundig, recalling that they had gone “very far”. Sergio Rossi, economics professor and member of the support committee RBI prefers also see the glass half full. “One in five voted for the unconditional basic income, it is already a success,” he commented to the ATS. For him, the important thing is that people start to think about the idea, “it will eventually be implemented.”

“This is a dream, a little Marxist. Full of good feelings but irrefutable economic thinking “, said the director of the International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies in Geneva, Charles Wyplosz, before the vote. According to him, if the link between pay and work is cut, “people will do less.”

Yes to preimplantation diagnosis

The popular initiative for an unconditional basic income ( RBI) proposed to pay a basic income each month to all Swiss and foreigners living in the country for at least five years, whether or not they have a job. The amount of this income remained to fix, but the group behind the initiative suggested to distribute 2,500 Swiss francs (2,260 euros) per adult – a very small amount for living in Switzerland – and 650 Swiss francs for each minor.

Swiss voters, however, supported the bill proposing to speed up asylum procedures, much of which will be completed in 140 days. They also said yes to preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a technique that will select and freeze embryos, but only those of the bearers of a serious hereditary disease or who can not have children naturally.