Swiss government rejects referendum on additional costs for US fighter jets

According to the federal government, the people should not be asked to vote on the additional costs for the F-35 fighter jets. It rejects a motion from the Social Democratic party calling for a supplementary credit to be submitted to Parliament in the form of a federal decree subject to a referendum. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In 2020, voters approved the federal decree on the CHF6 billion commitment credit for the purchase of 36 new fighter jets by 50.1%. On this basis, Parliament approved the commitment credit for the F-35 fighter jets in 2022, wrote parliamentarian Franziska Roth in the motion. The simple federal decree is not subject to a referendum, the government explained in its negative stance on Wednesday. The constitution does not provide for a financial referendum. Decisions of principle and planning decisions of major importance could be subject to an optional referendum. However, they should not be financial decisions. Translated from ...