Swiss voters decide on neutrality, food and local issues

Swiss voters will decide on two federal proposals on September 27, 2026, while numerous cantons and municipalities will hold additional ballots, SRF reported.

Neutrality initiative

The popular initiative titled “Safeguarding Swiss neutrality” seeks to enshrine detailed neutrality rules in the Swiss constitution. A committee linked to the SVP is behind the proposal.

The initiative calls for a stricter policy of neutrality and a broad constitutional ban on sanctions. Switzerland would use its neutrality for its role as a mediator. Economic sanctions would be permitted only if they were imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Measures against sanctions evasion would remain possible.

Switzerland could cooperate with military or defence alliances only in the event of a direct armed attack. The initiative was launched after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, when Switzerland adopted European Union sanctions against Russia.

Nutrition initiative

The Nutrition Initiative calls on Switzerland to pursue a self-sufficiency rate of at least 70 percent. It would promote the production of fewer animal-based foods and more plant-based foods. The initiative committee says this would feed more people using the same amount of land.

The proposal, supported by environmental groups including the Clean Water for All Association, also seeks to protect drinking water and preserve soil fertility and biodiversity. Its targets would have to be achieved within 10 years of the initiative being approved.

Cantonal and municipal votes

Several cantons will vote on specific measures. In Bern, voters will decide whether the canton and municipalities should be constitutionally required to ensure a high quality of education. Basel-Stadt will vote on the Anti-Chaos Initiative, while Geneva will decide on free contraception.

Voters in the Bündnerland region will decide on lowering the voting age to 16. In Zurich, one proposal concerns assisted suicide in care homes and hospitals.

At municipal level, voters will decide on a minimum wage in the city of Lucerne, a merger between Aarau and Unterentfelden, a new Schützenwiese football stadium in Winterthur and high-rise building regulations in Zurich.

Grenchen, Solothurn’s second-largest city, will hold a repeat election for mayor.