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Swiss could head towards popular vote on US F-35 fighter jets purchase

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 16 Aug 2022 16:02
2 Min Read

The left-wing "Stop-F-35" coalition delivers the 100,000 signatures required by Switzerland's direct democracy system to put any issue to a vote.

  • x
  •  F-35 fighter jet (Archive)
    F-35 fighter jet (Archive)

A Swiss alliance seeking to prevent the purchase of US-built fighter jets delivered enough signatures to authorities to force a public vote on the issue.

The left-wing "Stop-F-35" coalition delivered the 100,000 signatures required by Switzerland's direct democracy system to put any issue to a vote.

Once the signatures have been verified, the government must set a date for a popular vote.

"This initiative is only targeting the type of plane," the alliance stressed in a statement, adding that if Switzerland chooses another fighter jet, "the initiative will be withdrawn."

The Swiss government agreed to purchase 36 F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin in June of last year.

The purchase came after the military received narrow referendum approval in September 2020 to spend $6.3 billion on a new fleet.

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The F-35A combat aircraft, which is already in use by the US Air Force and several European countries, was chosen over the Airbus Eurofighter, Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, and Dassault's Rafale.

The government claimed that the plane was the best, but two Swiss parliamentary committees launched an investigation into why the model was chosen after a series of technical issues with the plane were reported in the United States.

They also questioned the high cost of the planes.

Read more: F-35 defects put Israeli air force in dilemma: Israeli media

But despite the concerns, the Swiss government exerted strained efforts to complete the purchase before March 2023, rather than waiting for a possible public vote on the issue.

The "Stop-F-35" coalition was formed in an attempt to force a new popular vote on the issue.

"The government and parliament must now do everything possible to enable a popular vote and an urgent and necessary public debate about the largest military equipment contract in Swiss history," the alliance said on its website.

  • swiss
  • swiss government
  • "Stop-F-35"
  • US fighter jets

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