Europe
Swiss Voters Back Higher Pensions, Reject Working Longer
- 58% of voters for raising payouts from state retirement fund
- Swiss had never voted for boosting welfare in 176 years
An electoral board reading: "Our pension is no longer enough" in favor of a boost to pension payments.
Photographer: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
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Swiss voters backed a plan to raise pensions, the first time in the country’s history that social benefits got an increase via plebiscite.
The proposal to introduce a 13th annual payout to pensioners was supported by 58.2% of the electorate and also met the additional requirement of being passed in the majority of Switzerland’s cantons. A second initiative to raise the retirement age — and subsequently tie it to life expectancy — was rejected, garnering only 25.3% of votes.