CSA elections in 2017

The situation is as follows. The delegates abroad are elected by the umbrella organisations in the various countries or, where these do not exist, by the Swiss societies. Both entities can extend the electorate to non-society members. In such cases, the societies can organise direct elections – by post or electronically – if required. Membership of a Swiss society is therefore not absolutely necessary unless required by the organisations responsible for running the election.

We also wish to point out that the Council of the Swiss Abroad adopted the inclusion of the following recommendation on the electorate in its guidelines at its last meeting: “The CSA recommends that all Swiss Abroad registered on an electoral roll are permitted to take part in the elections.” This is a recommendation that the societies can implement if they wish but is not mandatory. The CSA’s aim here was to take a step towards opening up the electoral base. The societies nevertheless remain free to decide who can take part in the elections within the scope of the guidelines.

The guidelines and further information on the elections can be found at:

aso.ch/en/politics/csa-elections-2017