Alternative list (Switzerland)

Alternative list (Switzerland)
Establishment date:	1990
Place of foundation:	Zurich
Share of voters:	0.32% (as of: National Council election 2019 )
National Council:	-
Council of States:	-
Cantonal parliaments:	10 seats (as of March 17, 2016)
Party structure:	without fixed structures, individual sections are autonomous, nationally involved in the Alternative Left from 2010–2018 .
Groupings:	JuLiA
Website:	www.alternative-linke.ch

The Alternative List ( AL ) is a strongly left-wing Swiss micro-party in the cantons of Zurich and Schaffhausen.

The AL in the cantons of Zurich and Schaffhausen were among the co-initiators of the Swiss left-wing party “ Alternative Left ”, which was active from 2010 to 2018 . The former AL Aargau is no longer active.

AL Canton of Zurich

AL advertising motif during the 2010 municipal council elections in the canton of Zurich

The AL has existed in the city of Zurich since 1990 as a loose association of like-minded people, one of the co-founders was the previous POCH municipal councilor Niklaus Scherr . At the beginning of 2007 the AL of the City of Zurich was constituted as a political association, just like the AL Limmattal, while the AL Winterthur does not see itself as an association or party, but as a free movement.

Traditionally, AL is strongly committed to the concerns of tenants ; some well-known representatives are active in the Swiss Tenants Association.

In the canton of Zurich, the Alternative List has so far launched two initiatives for fair health insurance premiums, which have doubled the premium reductions in Zurich.

In the parliamentary elections in 2007 , the alternative list in the canton of Zurich was part of a left list connection with the SP , the Greens and the CSP . A sub-list connection existed between the AL, its youth organization JuliA (Young List of Alternatives) and the PdA , these three lists were part of the electoral alliance “ À Gauche toute! / Linke Alternative ”. The AL and the JuliA together achieved a share of 1.1% of the vote in the canton of Zurich. With Niklaus Scherr , who had been Zurich's local councilor for many years, they also provided a candidate for the Council of States, although he was defeated by candidates from other parties. He received 7,875 votes in the first ballot (and was thus elected by 2.0% of the valid voters).

In February 2009, the AL achieved a great success with the cantonal initiative to abolish flat-rate taxation for millionaires in the canton of Zurich. Despite a rejection recommendation by the government and cantonal council, the initiative was accepted with 52.9% yes-votes. The canton of Zurich was the first canton to abolish flat-rate taxation. AL exponents were also significantly involved in the rejected initiative to abolish flat-rate taxation at the federal level by the Alternative Left .

In September 2010 the Zurich Cantonal Council elected AL representative Markus Bischoff as chairman of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the corruption affair of the BVK insurance . He was able to prevail in an election against a candidate from the SVP.

Before the national elections in 2011 , the AL calculated realistic chances of winning a seat. For this purpose, she entered into a list connection with the Pirate Party , the PdA and the "List of Non-Denominational". However, the AL only received 1.0% of the votes and clearly missed its entry into the national parliament.

In the 2014 municipal council elections in Bülach , AL representative Maria Eisele missed the executive election by only 54 votes.

In the 2015 cantonal elections, the AL canton of Zurich almost doubled its share of the vote (to 3.0%) and achieved a parliamentary group strength of five in the cantonal council. Markus Bischoff's candidacy for the government council was unsuccessful. The cantonal parliamentary group elected in 2015 consists of Markus Bischoff, Kaspar Bütikofer , Laura Huonker , Manuel Sahli and Judith Stofer .

AL City of Zurich

In the city of Zurich, the party prevented the privatization of the power stations and pushed through the construction of the city's fiber optic network . In 2007, following an AL initiative, the power of naturalization in the city of Zurich was transferred from the municipal council to the city council (accepted with a yes share of 70%).

In 2008 there were internal differences of opinion at AL Stadt Zürich. Within a short time, two members of the local parliament, Daniela Schicker and Peider Filli, left the AL. You criticized the working atmosphere in the group. As a result, the party lost its parliamentary group strength, and by 2010 it had only three representatives in the city parliament. In the elections in spring 2010, however, the AL was able to increase its share of the vote in the city of Zurich and again form its own parliamentary group with 5 seats.

Although the AL - like all other parties - would have a right to judges and public prosecutors , this was prevented in 2012 by the bourgeoisie from the SVP, FDP and CVP on the grounds that the AL often opposed the courts. The AL then announced in a press release that the " Cold War " had apparently not yet disappeared from everyone's mind. The AL canton councilor Markus Bischoff commented on the occurrences by saying that the inter-party conference apparently continues to function like a cartel . The positions in the courts and in the public prosecutor's office are very profitable for the parties, as they receive fees from the judges and public prosecutors - if the AL were to be part of the IPK, the bourgeois parties would have to forego part of this income.

The replacement election for the resigned city councilor Martin Vollenwyder in 2013 was won by the AL councilor Richard Wolff in the second ballot against Marco Camin from the FDP. The AL was able to hold this seat in the renewal elections on February 9, 2014, it was one of the winners with four seats and now has nine members in the community legislature. The AL faction in the local council has consisted of Walter Angst, Andreas Kirstein, Ezgi Akyol, Rosa Maino, Andrea Leitner, Christina Schiller, Eduard Guggenheim, Corinne Schäfli and Niklaus Scherr .

AL Winterthur

AL Winterthur has been represented by a member in the Winterthur municipal council (municipal parliament) since 2002.

In 2004, the AL, together with the Greens, initiated a referendum against the sale of the Arch site to a private investor on the grounds that too many things were still unclear. The referendum was rejected by the sovereign. Ultimately, the site was not built until 2011, seven years after the vote, with completely different tenants than the one suggested in the vote, and instead of the announced globe, the German food discounter Aldi has moved into the shopping center.

From the very beginning, AL was also on the “Gotzenwil remains green” committee, which rejected the development of still intact natural areas between Gotzenwil and Oberseen ; With the acceptance of the cultural land initiative , the committee's demand for the re-zoning of this area by the Cantonal Council was met.

In the planned development of the centrally located arsenal area with apartments in the upper price segment, which was planned in 2013, AL Winterthur held a referendum against the sale and rezoning of the associated urban land area. She is of the opinion that it is not up to the city to build housing for high earners, while the city lacks cheap housing. In addition, the AL finds it annoying that the city in particular is driving up housing prices by selling the arsenal area at the highest possible price to a private “speculator”. The referendum was ultimately successful at the ballot box: the sale of the area was clearly rejected with 55.86% and the rezoning with 53.62%.

Current representatives of AL Winterthur in the municipal council are David Berger, who has been in office since 2005, and, since her election on February 9, 2014, also the head of the Winterthur tenants' association, Katharina Gander.

AL Limmattal

In 2008, the AL Limmattal was the only party in Dietikon to hold the referendum against the zoning of the Niderfeld and was able to win 48% of the voters for the cause, which for the size of the party, which did not exist for long at the time, can be seen as a considerable success is.

In the elections in spring 2010, she managed for the first time to win a seat in the city parliament of Dietikon . On September 4, 2011, Stefan Bolz stood for election in the bourgeois-dominated Oberengstringen , but was unable to gain a seat in the municipal executive.

The current representative in Dietikon is Ernst Joss, who was elected in 2010. Ernst Joss ran unsuccessfully for the Dietiker city council in the elections on February 9, but was able to beat the two new SP candidates.

AL district of Horgen

The AL District Horgen was founded in Thalwil on February 9, 2013 .

AL Canton of Schaffhausen

The Alternative List Schaffhausen is a party that represents socially and ecologically sustainable views. As a young organization, the AL is helping to expand the progressive range of voters.

The AL was established in 2003. Since the SP refused to run against the two bourgeois candidates in the elections to the Council of States, a group of young Schaffhausen residents formed, which jumped into the breach and ported two candidates. The AL had no chance, but was able to achieve a respectable success for the young party. Inspired by the result, the AL tried to get into parliament in the cantonal elections the following year. In the 2004 cantonal elections, AL Schaffhausen was able to win one seat in the cantonal parliament and two seats in the parliament of the city of Schaffhausen. In the city of Schaffhausen it reached a share of the vote of 5.2% and became the fifth strongest party.

The party celebrated another success in the cantonal elections in autumn 2008. Despite the reduction of the cantonal council from 80 to 60 seats, the AL managed to enter parliament with three members of parliament. The same applies to the Grand City Council, which has been reduced from 50 to 36 seats. The AL also added a seat here and thus provided three city councilors.

As the second canton, Schaffhausen abolished the flat-rate tax in 2011 on an initiative by AL and SP .

The election year 2012 was another successful one for AL. On August 26, 2012, the AL made it into an executive for the first time with the election of Simon Stocker to the Schaffhausen City Council. One month later, on September 24, 2012, AL Schaffhausen gained two seats in the Cantonal Council and achieved parliamentary strength with 7.48% of the vote.

In the local elections on October 28th in Trasadingen , Matthias Frick was able to win another council seat (executive) in a campaign election for the AL. In the city of Schaffhausen, the AL also achieved parliamentary strength with a share of the vote of over 11% and now has four parliamentarians. Both in the city and in the canton of Schaffhausen, the AL has overtaken the ÖBS in terms of voter share, making it the fourth-strongest party.

After the successful abolition of the flat-rate tax, AL also focused on financial policy issues in the run-up to the elections in 2012. During this time, the cantonal government announced cuts in the premium reduction of 11 million francs and a comprehensive savings package of 25 million francs that affects all departments. The AL fought the cuts with the “premium reduction initiative”, which came to the vote after the elections on November 25, 2012 and was also supported by the SP and the unions. The initiative was accepted by the Schaffhausen electorate with 53% yes-votes. The social goal (no one should have to spend more than 15% of their income on health insurance premiums) is now set at law. Two days after the adoption of this very initiative, the Schaffhausen government decided against the will of the people again to reduce the premium reduction for 2013, whereupon the AL Schaffhausen took the government council before the higher court . The AL suspected that the implementation of the initiative was to be delayed solely for financial reasons, which is unlawful due to federal case law. However, the higher court dismissed AL's action on June 7, 2013.

During the election campaign, the AL also collected signatures for the “wealth tax initiative”, which calls for the reintroduction of the 13th level of progression from an annual income of CHF 210,000. The initiative was submitted in October 2012. In May 2013, the Cantonal Council of Schaffhausen decided to declare the initiative invalid, whereupon the AL immediately began collecting a new, revised initiative. On November 30, 2014, the AL initiative was rejected at the ballot box with 53.6 percent no votes.

AL Canton Aargau

The AL canton Aargau was active from around 2002 to 2006. She took part in the National Council elections in 2003, the Grand Council elections in 2005 and the residents' council elections in Aarau in 2005, but without being able to win a seat independently. It was replaced by the "Green Aargau / Alternative Left" movement.

In addition, the AL was responsible for the popular initiative “The Aargau remains a“ cultural canton ””. This was rejected in 2005 by the sovereign with a yes-vote share of 41.6%.

Mandates

Canton Zurich

Cantonal legislature

• 6 seats in the Cantonal Council of Zurich (of 180)

Local legislature

• 1 seat in the municipal council of the city ​​of Dietikon (of 36)
• 2 seats in the City Council of Winterthur (of 60)
• 9 seats in the City Council of Zurich (out of 125)

Local executive

• 1 seat in the City Council of Zurich (out of 9)

Canton of Schaffhausen

Cantonal legislature

• 5 seats in the Cantonal Council of Schaffhausen (of 60)

Local legislature

• 4 seats in the city council of Schaffhausen (of 36)

Local executive

• 1 seat in the city council of Schaffhausen (of 5)
• 1 seat in the municipal council of Trasadingen (of 5)

swell

1. ↑ cf. Swiss parliamentary elections 2007 / results of the National Council elections
2. ^ Results of the elections to the Council of States (2007–2011) #Canton of Zurich
3. ↑ Who should be allowed to grant citizenship in the city of Zurich? on nzz.ch, accessed on March 12, 2019
4. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger, May 14, 2008 - Another departure from the alternatives
5. ↑ NZZ, May 15, 2008 - Alternative list loses parliamentary group strength
6. ↑ Article "Citizens' vote of no confidence in the Zürcher AL" by Andreas Schürer in the NZZ from January 20, 2012
7. ↑ Schaffhausen, cantonal election results 2004
8. ↑ Schaffhausen, municipal election results 2004/08 (PDF; 308 kB)
9. ↑ Schaffhausen, cantonal election results 2008
10. ^ Cantonal election results Schaffhausen 2012, seats
11. ↑ Cantonal election results Schaffhausen 2012, percent
12. ↑ Election results for the city of Schaffhausen 2012 (PDF; 381 kB)
13. ^ Voting results from November 30th

Web links

• Website Alternative Linke Schweiz
• Website of the Zurich Alternative List
• Website of the Schaffhausen Alternative List
• Website of the Alternatives List Aargau
• Website of the Alternative List Winterthur
• Website of the Limmat Valley alternatives list
• Website of the alternative list district of Horgen