Yes, yes and again yes: are the Federal Council and Parliament increasingly prevailing?

The Federal Council and Parliament are winning across the board. Even with this triple yes, however, the proportion of successful referendums and popular initiatives during this legislature remains above average. The authorities were thus able to assert themselves less than usual.

The triple yes vote today can also be explained in terms of content. The bills were perceived as reasonable compromises that did not want too much at once. In the case of all three proposals, there is apparently agreement among voters about the problem pressure in the initial situation, as well as about the solutions that were now up for debate at the ballot box.

At 39 per cent (as of 4 p.m., ±2 per cent), voter turnout was well below the average of recent years and the lowest of the current legislature. After two years of pandemic with quite emotional and committed voting campaigns (including Covid votes, agricultural initiatives), the energy now seems to have fizzled out somewhat. This is also reflected in the fact that none of the major parties threw themselves into the referendum campaign with full force, which prevented a debate fuelled by domestic politics. Moreover, with the war in Ukraine, the concerns and attention of the population and the media are currently tied up elsewhere.