The people won’t vote quickly on the F-35s
The government wants to avoid setting a precedent in the handling of state affairs and therefore refuses to accede to the request of the initiators who wanted a vote in March 2023.
The question of the purchase of American F-35s is again tensing the fronts between the State and the opponents, after the episode of the Swedish Gripen.
KEYSTONE/EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI
The Federal Council on Wednesday showered the hopes of opponents of the purchase of American F-35s. The Department of Defense will deliver its message on the “Stop F-35” initiative to Parliament by the winter session. A vote before the signing of the acquisition contracts will therefore not be possible.
This announcement excludes the possibility of voting on the initiative of the Group for a Switzerland without an army (GSsA) and of the left in March 2023, i.e. before the expiry of the validity of the American contractual offers. This is what the initiators had requested from the Federal Council by depositing the signatures of their initiative, asserting respect for democracy and popular rights.
The schedule requested by the initiators is not feasible, the Federal Council said in a statement. By requiring the vote to take place in March 2023, the Federal Council and Parliament would only have a little over a month to develop and process the message relating to the popular initiative.
Even by tightening the usual procedures of the federal administration, it is impossible to keep the schedule demanded by the initiators, according to Berne. The duty of care would not be respected and the Federal Council and Parliament could not treat the initiative with the necessary care.
This message cannot be fully drafted before the end of the parliamentary debates on the commitment credit for the acquisition of the new combat aircraft within the framework of the message on the army 2022. According to the decision of the Parliament, the consequences of the popular initiative will be different, also specifies the Federal Council in a press release. The message will therefore be transmitted to Parliament “as soon as possible”, by the winter session.
Not create a precedent
Above all, the government does not want to set a precedent by speeding up the parliamentary pace. Moreover, federal popular initiatives have no anticipated legal effect. It is therefore inconceivable to enter into the subject of the initiative committee’s roadmap.
The simple launch of a collection of signatures could render the decisions taken by the Federal Council and Parliament obsolete in the future, fears the government. Nor should we create expectations for any other initiative committees that would demand the same accelerated treatment.
serious consequences
If the signing of the acquisition contracts does not take place before the end of March 2023, additional negotiations will be necessary to extend the validity of the offer, the government also recalls. This will not be possible at the fixed prices due to inflation and the increase in demand: Finland has decided to buy 64 F-35As, Germany wants to acquire up to 35 and Canada has also decided to purchase 88 such devices.
A delay in the acquisition of the F-35A would have serious consequences for the security of Switzerland, warns the government. By 2030, the population would no longer be protected against aerial threats and dangers.
ATS
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