Swiss face off over move to cement sovereignty on legal matters over international law
Zurich — The Swiss government urged voters on Tuesday to reject a right-wing proposal to cement Swiss sovereignty on legal matters over international law, saying the plan would force it to cancel treaties, weaken human rights and hurt the economy. The "Swiss Law, Not Foreign Judges" drive, which goes to a vote on November 25 under the Swiss system of direct democracy, sees a need to anchor the supremacy of domestic law so that regular citizens can wrest control from the political elite. But the government dismissed the plan championed by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) — the biggest in parliament and with two seats in the seven-member cabinet — as too woolly and bound to undermine the reputation of Switzerland for stability and reliability. 'Dangerous experiment' "We should spare ourselves this dangerous experiment," justice minister Simonetta Sommaruga told reporters in Bern. She said it would force Switzerland to abrogate existing treaties and cast a shadow over future agreements i...
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