The right to take part in votes and elections for Swiss citizens living abroad was hard to come by. Critics regularly call for restrictions but that would be tantamount to curtailing fundamental rights, according to a democracy expert. The history of suffrage in Switzerland is complex. Women won full political rights only in 1971, and Swiss citizens living abroad had to wait until 1977. These Swiss were long considered second class citizens despite numerous attempts since 1874 to introduce suffrage, says Nadja Braun Binder, assistant professor of law and democracy issues at the Centre for Democracy Studies in Aarau. A turning point in the history was a constitutional amendment in 1966 which enshrined the political rights of the Swiss abroad. But nearly ten years passed before the government published a document listing the advantages and disadvantages of extending full political rights to this global community. Pros and cons The main reasons in favour were the closer ties ...
