Swiss elections and the 'foreign' concept

Switzerland follows a foreign policy of neutrality - a policy whose essential aim is to minimize uncomfortable interactions with foreign countries and allow Switzerland to focus on itself. A brief look at the party manifestoes of this year's parliamentary elections seems to confirm this view.

Still, this policy of neutrality and Switzerland’s rather isolationist disposition have not given the Swiss electorate the luxury of remaining preoccupied solely with its own internal problems.

Though high-level foreign policy issues -an accession to the EU is at this time out of question- do not define the current political debates, the "foreign" element remains the most dominating and politicizing subject in the Swiss political landscape. From the political left to the radicals and as far as the conservative right, the "foreign" is the axis around which the Swiss political carousel is turning.

For instance, the planned abrogation of the Lex Koller law, which places restrictions on foreign nationals in real estate purchases in Switzerland, has surfaced as a key issue for politicians across the board and is serving as a platform for the parties' differentiation strategies.

The Green party opposes the cancellation of the law for fear of a construction boom, while the Social Democratic Party (SP) worries about an increase in housing prices and the appearance of foreign financial speculators on the Swiss housing market. The rightist nationalist Swiss People's Party (SVP) disapproves of the amendment with the aim of "protecting" Switzerland's home territory and employers' interests, whereas the extreme political right, the Swiss Democrats (SD), threaten to petition for a referendum in order to counter what they call "foreign infiltration." Parties from across the political spectrum have jumped on to the "Pro Lex Koller" bandwagon. Protectionist populism is booming as elections draw near.

A tax dispute between the European Commission and Switzerland constitutes another hot "foreign" topic. Switzerland's generous tax laws cause EU member states to lose billions in tax money to the Swiss state. Brussels increasingly is pressuring the Swiss federal council to convince Bern to adjust tax laws to EU standards.

The centrist Christian Peoples Party (CVP), and the center-right Radical party (FDP) as well as the SVP did not miss the opportunity to make their marks by proclaiming the non-negotiability of Switzerland's fiscal sovereignty. The left on the other hand showed understanding for Brussels' demands, since they oppose substantial tax discounts for the super rich and big multi-nationals as well as the competitive federal tax system.

The left sarcastically accuses the right of living up to Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition by being the "advocate of foreign tax refugees." The SVP, in turn, accuses the political left of working as an EU agent, in Cold War terms the "enemy from within," and labels the EU a "socialist" entity attempting to strip Switzerland of its assets down to the last cow.

Finally, SVP party president Ulrich Maurer has declared the upcoming October elections to be a decisive battle between "homeland or multiculturalism, security or criminality, and the occident or Islam."

Maurer's party is campaigning for a ban on the construction of minarets, thereby inspiring rightist populists from all across Europe, such as Austria's Jörg Haider, to do the same. The SVP also recently flooded the country's mailboxes with an initiative demanding the extradition of foreigners responsible for committing a crime. Both initiatives, if successful, would put the country on a collision course with international public law, as they go against binding international human rights treaties, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Charter on Human Rights.

Consequently, international law and its institutions, such as the European Court for Human Rights, cons