Date 19 January 1879 | Location Switzerland | |
Two referendums were held in Switzerland in 1879. A federal law on subsidies for railways in the Alps was passed by 70.7% of voters on 19 January, whilst a referendum on the death penalty on 18 May was passed by 52.5% of voters and a majority of cantons.
Background
The January referendum on rail subsidies was classed as an optional referendum, which meant that only a majority of the public vote was required for the proposals to be approved. The referendum on the death penalty involved amending article 65 of the federal constitution, and was a mandatory referendum, which required both a majority of voters and cantons to approve the proposals.
References
Swiss referendums, 1879 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA