2015-10-20

Electoral Roulette Continues: Canada Turns Left; Swiss Turn Right

Where voters have viable options to move right, they are doing so, but where they do not, they'll settle for tossing the ruling party out of power. Electoral roulette continues.

BBC: Canada election: Liberals sweep to power
During the 11-week election campaign, the Liberal Party said it would:

Cut income taxes for middle-class Canadians while increasing them for the wealthy

Run deficits for three years to pay for infrastructure spending

Do more to address environmental concerns over the controversial Keystone oil pipeline

Take in more Syrian refugees, and pull out of bombing raids against Islamic State while bolstering training for Iraqi forces

Legalise marijuana

Reuters: Anti-immigration SVP wins Swiss election in swing to right
The election gains for the SVP, which was already Switzerland's biggest single party, come 20 months after the Swiss in a referendum backed limits on foreigners living in the Alpine nation. The SVP had strongly supported the restrictions.

Lawmakers have until 2017 to reconcile this referendum result with an EU pact that guarantees the free movement of workers, otherwise the Swiss government must write quotas into law regardless of any compromise with the EU.

The Swiss system of direct democracy means citizens decide most major issues in referenda regardless of parliament's makeup.

But the latest right-wing gains should keep pressure on Bern to take a hard line with Brussels as it seeks to implement the immigration referendum.

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