Swiss proposal to place constitution above international law fails in referendum

Swiss voters on Sunday strongly rejected a right-wing proposal in a referendum to put the Swiss constitution above international law that would have meant renegotiating many treaties, with a 66.2 percent no vote recorded, results showed. The initiative put forward by the rightwing People's Party (SVP) for "Swiss law instead of foreign judges," was rejected Sunday by a majority of Switzerland's 26 cantons, the official results showed. Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said in reaction to the result that "Voters do not want a rigid system which could create problems with international treaties." Local media reported that the business community also welcomed the result saying voters wanted "a country open to the outside world." A yes vote would have forced Switzerland to renegotiate countless treaties, including texts on human rights, child rights, environmental laws and on trade.
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