Politics Is Different In Switzerland

Swiss politics doesn't make international news that often, though recently it has been somewhat.

There was recently a national referendum on restricting the pay of top executives (it failed).

There's also an upcoming vote on whether to provide everyone in Switzerland with some kind of basic income (it's expected to fail).

Basically, voting on big issues is a big part of Swiss politics. And just as in most countries you see ads for politicians, in Switzerland, ads for either side of given votes are all over the place.

The above left one is encouraging people to vote NO on a referendum that would apparently restrict the flow of labor in and out of Switzerland and neighboring European countries (Switzerland isn't part of the EU, but it has agreements to give it an EU-like relationship with its neighbors). According to the ad, if the referendum passes, Switzerland will be knocking down its proverbial apple tree of prosperity.

These ads are all over the place. Apparently there are booklets handed out explaining the referendums that are quite good and make for a citizenry well informed of key laws.