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Should minority languages receive official recognition and support?

Should minority languages receive official recognition and support?
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VoteWorld community

  • Yes 0% (0)
  • No 0% (0)

VoteWorld community: 0

Official result — Switzerland

  • Yes 76.2% (1052052)
  • No 23.8% (329153)

Official result — Switzerland: 1381205

Official Swiss vote totals are shown separately from live VoteWorld votes. Official source: https://swissvotes.ch/vote/425.00. Imported: 2026-07-06.

More info

AI-generated summary, admin reviewed: This constitutional amendment strengthened the recognition and protection of the country's languages. It named German, French, Italian and Romansh as national languages, required national and regional governments to promote understanding between language communities and provided support for preserving Italian and Romansh. Romansh also became an official language when national authorities communicated with Romansh-speaking people. Supporters argued that the change would protect cultural diversity and vulnerable minority languages. Critics questioned whether such support required additional national funding. Swiss voters approved the amendment by a large majority.
Seed source: Swissvotes federal popular vote dataset.
Swissvotes page: https://swissvotes.ch/vote/425.00
Official result data: https://bk.admin.ch/de/details-referenden-und-weitere-erlasse?voteNumber=425
Vote date: 1996-03-10
Original Swissvotes English title: Sprachenartikel
Original German title: Sprachenartikel
Swissvotes short-description title: Trotz Desinteresse: Stimmvolk bekennt sich zur Mehrsprachigkeit
Original French title: Article sur les langues
Année Politique Suisse description: https://anneepolitique.swiss/prozesse/37166
BFS result map (German): https://mapexplorer.bfs.admin.ch/?obs=politic&lang=de#c=indicator&i=vp19960310.prop_oui_425_0
BFS result map (French): https://mapexplorer.bfs.admin.ch/?obs=politic&lang=fr#c=indicator&i=vp19960310.prop_oui_425_0
Official chronology (French): https://bk.admin.ch/fr/details-referendums-et-autres-actes?voteNumber=425