Switzerland is ready for the upcoming vote, on Sunday, the people should decide whether to ban full facial coverings in public places.
Swiss people inclined to ban the wearing of the burqa in public places, The Local Switzerland has learned. Despite women in traditional Islamic full-face veils being an exceptionally rare sight in Swiss streets, the European nation decided to ban that tradition.
The ban would mean that nobody could cover their face completely in all public places, including the countrysides. An only exception is a place of worship. Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, referenda and popular votes occur every few months at the national, regional and local levels.
According to the polls, a slim majority support the move, in a vote that comes after years of debate following similar bans in other European countries and even in some Muslim-majority nations.
On Sunday, the referenda will show, how many swiss don’t want to see the traditional Islamic full-face veils. Under existing law, the Swiss are voting on the publicly triggered proposal “Yes to a ban on full facial coverings”.
Prior to starting the referendum, campaign posters reading “Stop radical Islam!” and “Stop extremism!”, featuring a woman in a black niqab, have been plastered around Swiss cities.
Fines of up to 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,900, 9,040 euros) could be imposed on anyone who refused.
Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has stressed that most women seen wearing full face veils are tourists. The referendum comes at a time when face masks are mandatory in shops and on public transport due to the coronavirus pandemic.
