SWISS REJECT VETO OF GOVERNMENT LAW BY OPTIONAL REFERENDUM
 

Electorate approves government law on Sunday shopping, rejecting a veto call.

A referendum (November 2005) on the opening of shops on Sunday has been accepted by 50,6% of voters and by 6 cantons (Geneva, Zurich, Basle County, Basle Town, Argovia and Zug). The opening only concerns the shops located in airports and railway stations. Opponents argued that allowing Sunday opening would ease the way to broader liberalisation of opening times for shops and businesses.

This was a failed attempt to veto a parliamentary bill by citizen-initiated referendum, an optional referendum sometimes called "facultative". To trigger this type of referendum, 50,000 signatures must be collected, verified as to voter eligibility by the communities, and delivered to the  federal chancellery within 100 days of the publication of the text of the law in the Official Gazette of the Confederation.

Note: In Britain there is no procedure which enables the electorate to veto an unwanted law passed by parliament.