In a vote held on Sunday 29 November, a popular initiative in Switzerland that seeks to hold large companies in the country accountable for the actions of their affiliates and suppliers abroad failed to achieve a majority among Swiss cantons, with only 8.5 votes in favour out of 23, despite achieving a slim majority of 50.7% in the popular vote. As a result, a compromise law that is far less restrictive will be voted on. Many believe nonetheless that the result of the popular vote places a certain amount of pressure on Swiss firms.
Under the Swiss voting system, a popular initiative requires a double majority – of both voters and cantons – to be adopted. Launched in 2015 by nearly 130 NGOs (see article n°12197 on the debate surrounding this vote) and put to a vote on Sunday 29 November, the initiative on the accountability in the fields of human rights and the environment of multinationals based in Switzerland and with operations abroad did not meet these two criteria: while 50.7% of votes were cast in favour, it failed to achieve the required cantonal majority, achieving 8.5 votes out of 23.
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