page_title: 2009 Swiss minaret referendum
section_title: Result
hierarchical_section_title: 2009 Swiss minaret referendum / Referendum / Result
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Moschee des Türkischen Kulturvereines Olten in Wangen bei Olten English: Mosque of the Olten Turkish cultural association at Wangen bei Olten Türkçe: Cami, Olten Türk Kültür Ocağı, Wangen bei Olten
context_page_description: The federal popular initiative "against the construction of minarets" was a successful popular initiative in Switzerland to prevent the construction of minarets on mosques. In a November 2009 referendum, a constitutional amendment banning the construction of new minarets was approved by 57.5% of the participating voters. Only three of the twenty Swiss cantons and one half canton, mostly in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, opposed the initiative.
  This referendum originates from action on 1 May 2007, when a group of right of centre politicians mainly from the Swiss People's Party and the Federal Democratic Union, the Egerkinger Komittee launched a federal popular initiative that sought a constitutional ban on minarets. The minaret at the mosque of the local Turkish cultural association in Wangen bei Olten is the initial motivation for the initiative.
  The Swiss government recommended that the proposed amendment be rejected as inconsistent with basic principles of the constitution. But after the results were tabulated, the government immediately announced that the ban was in effect.
context_section_description: In a referendum on 29 November 2009, the amendment, which needed a double majority to pass, was approved by 57.5% (1 534 054 citizens) of the voters and by 19½ cantons out of 23. Geneva, Vaud and Neuchâtel, all of which are French-speaking cantons, voted against the ban (59.7%, 53.1% and 50.9% respectively). The canton of Basel-City, which has half a cantonal vote and the largest Muslim community of Switzerland, also rejected the ban by 51.6%. The voter turnout was 53.4%.
  At the district level, which does not include Basel-City and Geneva, which are not divided into districts, the initiative gained a majority of the votes in all 148 districts, except for sixteen:
  canton of Vaud: Lausanne, Ouest Lausannois, Lavaux-Oron, Nyon, Morges, Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut;
  canton of Neuchâtel: Neuchâtel, Boudry, La Chaux-de-Fonds;
  canton of Fribourg: Sarine;
  canton of Jura: Delémont, Franches-Montagnes;
  canton of Zurich: Zurich, Meilen;
  canton of Berne: Berne;
  canton of Solothurn: Solothurn.
  The cities of Zurich and Berne along with Geneva and Basel also showed a slight majority opposed to the ban. The canton of Zurich as a whole, however, voted 52% yes. The highest percentage of votes in favour of the ban were counted in Appenzell Innerrhoden (71%) followed by Glarus (69%), Ticino (68%)  and Thurgau (68%).
  An independent study done by the political scientists Markus Freitag (University of Konstanz), Thomas Milic and Adrian Vatter (University of Bern) noted a good level of knowledge among voters. Contrary to what had been thought, the surveys before the referendum didn't influence the voters as it is hard to do so with people accustomed to them. The people who voted did it according to their political convictions and by taking into account the different arguments. It also attributes the result to the fact that supporters of the ban massively took part in the referendum.
caption: Minaret at the mosque of the local Turkish cultural association in Wangen bei Olten, the initial motivation for the popular initiative.
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