National Council against free advertising spots before votes
The National Council has rejected free campaign ads during referendum campaigns. On Tuesday, it rejected a bill that sought to give political parties an edge over financially powerful interest groups. The Swiss Press Association welcomes this clear decision.
The efforts to ensure fair voting campaigns go back to a parliamentary initiative by Andreas Gross (SP/ZH). The bill provided for political parties, referendum and initiative committees to be given free airtime on radio and television during referendum campaigns. In the weeks leading up to a vote, a good hour of political advertising would have been broadcast in spots lasting a maximum of 30 seconds. The bill also provided for minimum content requirements, such as a ban on demonstrably inaccurate factual claims. This prior review, also known as censorship, was a bone of contention for many council members.
Gross praised the bill in vain as a joint effort by all parliamentary groups in the Political Affairs Committee. There was nothing left of the consensus in the plenary session: only the SP and the Greens were still in favor of the bill. In the end, the National Council decided not to vote in favor of the bill by 119 votes to 58. The bill now goes to the Council of States.
Gross praised the bill in vain as a joint effort by all parliamentary groups in the Political Affairs Committee. There was nothing left of the consensus in the plenary session: only the SP and the Greens were still in favor of the bill. In the end, the National Council decided not to vote in favor of the bill by 119 votes to 58. The bill now goes to the Council of States.
The Swiss press welcomes the decision
"The bill, as it was conceived, would have been undemocratic and questionable in terms of state policy," the association wrote in a communiqué on Tuesday. Free advertising on government orders would have come dangerously close to indirect party and committee financing. It would also have caused various problems in terms of practical implementation. Under these conditions, it would hardly have been possible to speak of the "fairness" that was actually intended.
