At the annual congress of the Swiss Abroad in St Gallen on Saturday, around 100 Swiss gathered to draw attention to their concerns in the run-up to the Swiss federal elections in October.
According to the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), 800,000 Swiss citizens live abroad. The OSA appealed for the political rights of the Swiss Abroad to be guaranteed, primarily through the ability to vote electronically.
As such, the Swiss Abroad welcomed the decision by the Federal Council last week to allow electronic voting for cantons Basel-City, St Gallen and Thurgau for a limited number of voters for the upcoming federal elections in October.
In addition to e-voting, the Swiss Abroad are also calling for virtual administration services to move forward, freedom of movement, obstacles for social insurance to be removed and for funds for the development of Swiss schools abroad.
The event was attended mainly by Swiss nationals living in the European Union, but also included Swiss Abroad from Argentina, South Africa, Israel and Thailand, the OSA told the Keystone news agency.