What Role Does Money Play In Swiss Politics?

2025-10-16 03:38:57

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The first data analysis since the introduction of new rules in Switzerland shows that the country is average in Europe when it comes to the transparency of political party funding. But the country's oversight body says the rules still don't provide a full picture. This content was published on October 16, 2025 - 09:00 9 minutes Balz Oertli, WAV Recherchekollektiv

Deutsch de Welche Rolle spielt Geld in der Schweizer Politik? Original Read more: Welche Rolle spielt Geld in der Schweizer Pol
Français fr Quel rôle l'argent joue-t-il dans la politique suisse? Read more: Quel rôle l'argent joue-t-il dans la politique su

Switzerland introduced transparency rules for political financing in 2023. Before, no one knew who was bankrolling the country's politics. Today, the identities of donors are known for about two-thirds of all referendum campaign contributions and for half of all party donations.

How does Switzerland measure up against its European peers? Data from the Dutch investigative platform Follow the Money (FTM) make it possible to find out. In 2024, FTM gathered informationExternal link from across the European Union (EU) on how parties are financed and where their money comes from.

Switzerland ranks average for the EU

In terms of transparency in party financing, Switzerland ranks 13th among 23 EU countries for referendum and election campaigns, and 11th for donations to national parties. The EU figures are based on annual party reports and national registersExternal link.

Three EU countries were excluded from the analysis: Austria (due to the regional nature of party disclosures), Lithuania (parties are not required to publish annual financial statements), and Luxembourg (only unconsolidated accounts available).

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Transparency rules vary widely across Europe.“Switzerland lies in the solid middle,” says Toine Paulissen, a political scientist at the university of Leuven who studies referendum campaign financing across Europe, including in Ireland, the UK and Moldova.

Referendums, he says, are particularly revealing because political parties have less to gain directly than in elections.“Big spending during referendums reveals priorities,” Paulissen adds.“Election promises cost nothing. Referendum campaigns are expensive.”

Nowhere else in the world holds public votes as frequently as Switzerland; read about how the Swiss political system works in our article below:

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