The Swiss will vote this Sunday on two people’s initiatives aimed at reforming the pension system. A proposal to gradually raise the statutory retirement age to 66 looks set to fail, while a separate initiative to raise pension payments looks like a close vote. Opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s vote indicated that a majority of Swiss voters backed the “Better living in retirement” initiative. But support for the proposal, which seeks to grant retired people an extra – or 13th – monthly payment of the old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI) pension, has dwindled during the campaign. In the latest poll by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), carried out in early February, 53% of respondents said they supported the initiative, which was launched by the trade unions to help pensioners keep up with rising costs in the pricey Alpine nation. While the “yes” camp still held a lead ahead of the vote, this may not be enough for it to pass. In addition to a majority of votes from ...
