Opfikon: Voters must vote on "SVP-Anzeiger"
The voters of Opfikon ZH will definitely have to vote on their future official gazette. The referendum of the SP, which opposes the feared "SVP-Anzeiger", has been successful.
Of the 412 signatures submitted, 398 are valid, as the city announced on Wednesday according to SDA. The referendum is scheduled for May 15. With its referendum, the SP wants to prevent the Stadt-Anzeiger from remaining the official gazette of Opfikon for another four years.
The resistance was triggered by the Sale of the sheet to SVP Vice President and car importer Walter Frey, who already publishes five neighborhood newspapers in the Zurich region under the umbrella of his company Lokalinfo. The SP now fears that the Stadt-Anzeiger will develop into an "SVP-Anzeiger" under the new owner. It would be naïve to believe that Walter Frey is only buying newspapers throughout the canton of Zurich for purely financial reasons.
City council does not share concerns
If the referendum is accepted by the electorate, there are two possible solutions for the SP: either the city looks for a new provider for the official publications. Or the newspaper would have to be sold on to an owner who is independent of party politics. The Opfikon municipal council does not share the SP's concerns: in December, it gave its approval for the Stadt-Anzeiger to remain the official gazette of the city of Opfikon for another four years.
The paper has a circulation of 1,800 copies and is published once a week. Once a month, the newspaper is distributed to all households as a large print run. Former publisher Theophil Maag retired for reasons of age.
> City of Opfikon: Over 300 signatures against official gazette
