Almost CHF8 million spent on September vote campaigns

Supporters and opponents of the two initiatives being put to a vote on September 27 have aounced campaign budgets totalling CHF7.86 million ($9.75 million), the Swiss Federal Audit Office said on Friday. Some CHF5.51 million was declared for the neutrality initiative, which seeks to enshrine stricter rules on neutrality in the Swiss constitution. The “Preserving Swiss Neutrality” committee spent CHF3.84 million to campaign in favour of the text. Opponents spent CHF1.67 million, the vast majority of which came from the cross-party “No to the Neutrality Initiative” committee. The campaign surrounding the food security initiative, which seeks to strengthen domestic food production, prioritise plant-based foods and protect groundwater resources, cost CHF2.35 million. The “Clean Water for All” association reported expenditure of CHF720,000, compared with CHF1.63 million from the initiative’s opponents. Political figures are responsible for the accuracy of the figures reported, the ...