Unconditional basic income
The initiative failed
The new initiative for an unconditional basic income is already failing to collect the necessary signatures. Nevertheless, the initiators do not want to give up.
Published: 5 minutes ago
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The new initiative called for an unconditional basic income for everyone. However, the request did not stand a chance when it came to collecting signatures.
Daniel BallmerEditor Politics
It’s on the horizon, now it’s definitely. The popular initiative for an unconditional basic income has failed. Campaign manager Raffael Wüthrich confirms this to Blick. So far, only around 65,000 signatures have come together. With a safety margin, another 65,000 signatures would have been needed by the end of February. “We consider that impossible,” said the initiators.
Nevertheless, signatures would continue to be collected for the time being – the campaign team is assuming around 70,000 signatures until the end. These should still be submitted in March – as a sign of the concern.
“Hard to get attention”
The collection of signatures for the initiative entitled “Living in Dignity – For a Affordable Unconditional Basic Income” was difficult from the start. “The Ukraine war and the energy crisis have taken up a lot of space in the media,” says Wüthrich. “It was difficult to reach people.” The other reasons for the failure would now be analyzed.
The initiative demanded that the federal government “guarantee an unconditional basic income for people settled in Switzerland”. In this way, a “dignified existence in family and society, participation in public life and commitment to the common good” should be made possible. A concrete amount of the basic income is not specified in the initiative text. This should be decided by Parliament.
Initiators persist
Despite the failure: “The topic will remain relevant,” Wüthrich is convinced. For example, pilot projects for a basic income are being discussed in the cities of Bern and Lucerne. In Berne, for example, the experiment with around 500 participants is intended to provide answers to the question: What does a monthly basic income trigger in the population and in individuals?
It will certainly not have been the last attempt at national level either. Wüthrich emphasizes that awareness of the issue is increasing among the general public. “The corona pandemic has shown how quickly the financial security of many people can be endangered.” And an unconditional basic income could offer insurance against poverty and fear.
In 2016, the Swiss electorate had already sent the popular initiative for an unconditional basic income down with a massive 77 percent no. And just last September, the city of Zurich didn’t want anything to do with a pilot project either.
But the initiators don’t want to give up. Finally: The AHV and women’s suffrage would also have needed several attempts in Switzerland.