Swiss signatures scam: firms also acted without a mandate, authorities say

The issue of fake signatures for initiatives and referendums has taken a new twist: some firms gathered signatures without having a mandate, before pressuring committees to accept them, This damages both the rights of voters as well as the integrity of the collection process, the Federal Chancellery wrote on Tuesday. It has informed committees behind people’s initiatives and referendums currently at the stage of collecting signatures. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The Federal Chancellery referred to a criminal complaint about which it was informed on Friday. According to the complaint, certain firms which collect signatures for referendums in exchange for a fee are alleged to have gathered names without a mandate, before then pressuring committees into making a purchase. The problem with this is that if someone signs a petition for a referendum on a form held out by an employee of one of the organisations, the signature may end up not being submitted ...