Swiss vote on pensions and environment protections – Times of India
GENEVA: Switzerland may be associated with pristine natural landscapes, but environmentalists sounding the alarm over its endangered ecosystems are urging voters to back broader biodiversity protections in a referendum on Sunday.That proposal appears set to fail, according to opinion polls, while the Swiss are also set to reject a planned reform of the financing of the wealthy Alpine nation's pension system slammed by unions as a "scam". Most people cast their ballots in advance in the popular votes held every couple of months under Switzerland's direct democratic system and polling stations will only open a few hours Sunday morning.Early results are expected by mid-afternoon.The first proposal, entitled "For the future of our nature and our landscape", has the backing of a number of envir...