Today, and for the first time since my arrival in Switzerland, I have received a letter in which it was mentioned that I have the right to vote for the municipal elections of March 2011. I am very pleased to know that I belong to the quite big group of 77,437 foreign voters in the canton of Geneva with a total population of 463,919!
Geneva, although considered as being among the top 5 most expensive cities for expats in the world, it is among the cities with the highest percentage of foreigners with 40% of the total population. Having this in mind, the citizens of Geneva had decided in 2005 that democracy in their canton should entail also the political involvement of the foreign residents. Therefore, they voted for the granting of the right to vote to all foreign residents who have resided in the canton for at least 8 years.
For my case, it is a bizarre feeling to receive this information in a period where I am still waiting for my "Permit" to be renewed. Another funny thing is that the information brochure that accompanied the official letter from the State Chancellery, was depicting democracy as a fondue pot, and in the last page there was also the full recipe of how to make a cheese-fondue!
On March 13, 2011, I can choose either to send my ballot by regular mail, or to present myself to the local electoral office and cast my vote in person. I'm ready, then, for the first time, to taste this democratic "dish" in a country whose political regime has often been described as the ideal form of participative democracy.
D.S.
Geneva, although considered as being among the top 5 most expensive cities for expats in the world, it is among the cities with the highest percentage of foreigners with 40% of the total population. Having this in mind, the citizens of Geneva had decided in 2005 that democracy in their canton should entail also the political involvement of the foreign residents. Therefore, they voted for the granting of the right to vote to all foreign residents who have resided in the canton for at least 8 years.
For my case, it is a bizarre feeling to receive this information in a period where I am still waiting for my "Permit" to be renewed. Another funny thing is that the information brochure that accompanied the official letter from the State Chancellery, was depicting democracy as a fondue pot, and in the last page there was also the full recipe of how to make a cheese-fondue!
On March 13, 2011, I can choose either to send my ballot by regular mail, or to present myself to the local electoral office and cast my vote in person. I'm ready, then, for the first time, to taste this democratic "dish" in a country whose political regime has often been described as the ideal form of participative democracy.
D.S.
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