With 73 % of voters in favor, Switzerland approved the permanent use of cash in a referendum this Sunday, March 8.

In an increasingly digital world, a high percentage of transactions in Switzerland are still paid for with cash. The referendum to decide whether this payment method would be maintained was announced last year.

Thanks to the voters’ support, state entities must now guarantee “the availability of cash in the country, and it is ruled out that it could ever be replaced by virtual money. This guarantee will be enshrined in the Constitution.”

Meanwhile, due to the rise of digital payment platforms and applications, Switzerland, like the rest of Europe, will continue to consider “the possibility of launching a virtual Swiss franc in the future, a cryptocurrency issued by the Swiss National Bank, which, following today’s vote, will have to coexist, if it comes to fruition, with physical coins and banknotes.”

M.Pino

Source: 20minutos

(Reference image source: Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash)

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Next year, specifically on March 8, 2026, Switzerland will hold a referendum to decide whether the country will protect cash in the face of the rise of digital payments.

The measure was announced by the Federal Council (Swiss Executive) on October 29. According to the proposal, the Constitution is expected to be amended to “guarantee the existence of cash and that the Swiss franc remains the national currency, although the Federal Council’s counterproposal presents fewer obstacles to the future development of digital payments.”

This referendum will be the first time since 2010 that Swiss citizens, who must vote in referendums up to four times a year, will decide the future of both a popular initiative and a government counterproposal on the same issue. If they accept both, they will have to indicate which one they would prefer to see implemented.

With this initiative, Switzerland would become one of the first countries in the world to include the right to use cash in its Constitution, “although similar initiatives in this regard have also emerged in other European countries such as Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia.”

Groups in favor of protecting cash argue that its elimination would harm vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or those without bank accounts. Furthermore, they “emphasize the importance that coins and banknotes could have in times of crisis, such as cyberattacks or widespread failures in electronic systems.”

The referendum on March 8, the first of 2026, will also allow citizens to “vote on a proposal to reduce the tax for public broadcasting to 200 Swiss francs (214 euros), as well as on the creation of a climate fund to promote renewable energy and other measures against global warming.”

M.Pino

Source: swissinfo

(Reference image source: Stock Birken on Unsplash)

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro hinted at an event in Caracas on Thursday, June 19, that the referendum to reform the 1999 Constitution would be held in 2026.

During his participation in an event in the capital, Maduro referred to the upcoming municipal elections on July 27 and emphasized that the country would be free of elections until 2030. He did not fail to mention the referendum to reform the 1999 Constitution, which only had one amendment in 2009 for immediate reelection. from any elected office, whether continuously or indefinitely.

Regarding the new call for a refotm, Maduro stated: “It could be a referendum next year,” although he has not provided details of possible changes to the Constitution.

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Source: puntodecorte

(Reference image source: Anastassia Anufrieva on Unsplash)

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The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, Elvis Amoroso, announced this Friday that a referendum will be held on December 3 on Guayana Esequiba, the part of Guyana that Caracas claims as its own.

“Unanimously all the rectors, by virtue of the fact that the document had already been notified, it was already approved on December 3 to hold the referendum among the entire people of Venezuela,” said Amoroso, as reported by the newspaper El Universal.

Amoroso has not yet detailed the questions that citizens will have to answer in December. The electoral body plans to meet in permanent session to discuss the next steps for the referendum.

The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, had previously presented to Amoroso the request for a call to hold the referendum after the Chamber approved the consultative initiative last September.

Maduro has on numerous occasions claimed sovereignty over Essequibo, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, by “historical right.” This long-standing dispute was fueled after oil was found in the area.

Essequibo is a territory of 159,542 kilometers that has important natural resources – oil, gas, mining, hydraulic and forestry – and great tourism potential. It is administered by Guyana pursuant to an 1899 arbitration award.

Specifically, Guyana argues that Caracas agreed to give up Essequibo after the ruling in 1899, but that Venezuela later retracted the decision. For its part, Caracas alleges that the decision was unfair.

Source: dpa

(Referential image source: Presidency of Venezuela, Europa Press / dpa)

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