A mayor in the Geneva area has been caught voting for himself twice during local elections, casting ballots for his absent daughter before slipping his own vote in the box.

"/> A mayor in the Geneva area has been caught voting for himself twice during local elections, casting ballots for his absent daughter before slipping his own vote in the box.

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Swiss mayor votes twice for himself

A mayor in the Geneva area has been caught voting for himself twice during local elections, casting ballots for his absent daughter before slipping his own vote in the box.

Published: 31 May 2011 11:14 CEST

Thierry Durand, mayor of Plan-les-Ouates, was elected last April. The mayor, who had a reputation for political expertise and his efforts to increase transparency, he was caught filling out, signing and sending the ballot for his daughter, who was in the United States, said a report on the local edition of the 20 Minuten daily.

He also then voted for himself at the booth, the paper said.

The mayor was quoted as admitting that he did forge his daughter’s signature, but added that everything was done “in total transparency between us via Skype.”

Durand said he regretted his move, but said he had broken the law to please his daughter and had a “clear conscience.”

The mayor is currently under investigation, the paper reported, and police will decide whether to refer the case to prosecutors. Durand risks up to three years in jail if convicted of electoral fraud.

What are Switzerland’s top priorities for the coming year?

On Wednesday September 18th, president Viola Amherd unveiled the Federal Council’s goals for 2025.

“In 2025, the focus will be on bilateral relations with the European Union, social policy, and continuing reforms in the healthcare sector,” the Federal Council announced in a press release.

All these issues are likely to have at least some impact on Switzerland’s population, including foreign residents.

Let’s have a closer look at these priorities.

EU-Swiss relations

After Bern walked out of its negotiations with Brussels in May 2021, and following a nearly three-year ‘cooling off’ period, the two parties resumed their talks in March of 2024.

The currently on-going negotiations aim, according to the European Commission, “at ensuring a level playing field for competition between EU and Swiss companies operating within the EU internal market and guarantee the protection of the rights of EU citizens working in Switzerland, including non-discrimination between citizens of different Member States.”

So if you are a citizen of any European Union state, the outcome of these talks will impact you — hopefully in a positive way.

Social policy

This will relate to the country’s state pension scheme /AHV / AVS), which includes the funding and implementation in 2026 of the 13th pension — a move that will affect both the retired and the still active workforce.

READ ALSO: How much will the 13th pension payment in Switzerland cost you?

Healthcare reforms

This is not a new issue for Switzerland — on the contrary, the government has been trying cut the soaring costs of the health system for years.

The challenge it has is to curb the spending without cutting — or scraping altogether — various benefits currently covered by the obligatory health insurance scheme.

No concrete results that are acceptable to everyone have yet been found, so the Federal Council will continue this task in 2025.

These are the main challenges the government will tackle next year, but it has listed other ‘to-do’ tasks as well

They are:

To “sustainably secure its prosperity and seize the opportunities offered by digital technology”
To promote national and intergenerational cohesion
To ensure security, working towards peace and acting consistently and reliably internationally
To protect the climate and care for natural resources

Also on next year’s government agenda: to decide whether to further extend the special ‘S’ refugee status for people from Ukraine, which expires in March 2026.

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