According to the polls, only the initiative on tobacco could pass the ramp (63%), even if the no side gained momentum during the campaign, according to the survey carried out by the gfs.bern institute.

The majority of cantons is also required.

The Alpine country, where approximately one in four people smoke, has very permissive legislation in this area, in particular due to very strong lobbying by the world's largest tobacco companies, which have their headquarters there.

For the Federal Council (government) and Parliament, the initiative “goes too far and would constitute a serious attack on freedom of trade”.

An electoral panel in favor of the ban on tobacco advertising in Switzerland, in Lausanne on February 8, 2022 Valentin FLAURAUD AFP

In Switzerland, tobacco advertising is prohibited when it is specifically aimed at minors, as well as on radio and television.

The initiative wants to ban all tobacco advertising where children or adolescents can see it, for example in the press, on posters or the internet, in the cinema or during demonstrations.

The same rules would apply to electronic cigarettes.

Advertising that only targets adults, for example in emails, would still be allowed.

- 30 years later -

The animal cause has taken off in recent years, but the Swiss should reject the initiative to ban animal and human testing, as well as the import of new drugs developed through these means.

A technician from the University of Geneva shows a laboratory rat on January 18, 2022 Fabrice COFFRINI AFP

The Swiss rejected three initiatives on this subject, in 1985 (70%), 1992 (56%) and 1993 (72%).

Even the Swiss Animal Protection deplored the "radical demands" of the new initiative.

For its part, the Swiss League against animal experimentation shows itself "in agreement with the text", but with criticism: a ban "without a real development of alternatives, with financial support, incentives, or even the training of researchers, is not relevant".

No party supports the ban, which according to the government would have serious consequences for health but also for the economy, in a country where the chemical and pharmaceutical sector accounts for just over half of the exports.

According to the authorities, Swiss legislation is one of the strictest in the world in terms of animal testing, including a ban on testing for cosmetic products.

In medicine, researchers are required to apply the principle of the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine) which requires that animal testing be authorized only if no alternative method exists, that the number of animals be limited to necessary minimum and that the constraints imposed on the animals are as low as possible.

“With this so-called 3R approach, we have seen a reduction of more than 70% in animal testing, which is used only when absolutely necessary”, underlined the general manager of the Swiss laboratory Novartis, Vas Narasimhan.

A researcher from the University of Geneva shows a tumor test on an animal on January 18, 2022 Fabrice COFFRINI AFP

"But it is absolutely essential for the industry here in Switzerland, and also for patients in Switzerland so that they can access the medicines they need, that we can carry out - when appropriate and necessary - research on animals,” he said.

The number of animals used in Switzerland has increased from nearly 2 million per year in the early 1980s to nearly 560,000.

Some 20,000 of them underwent severe coercion, such as the implantation of a tumor, according to federal authorities.

On Sunday, the inhabitants of the small canton of Basel-City will also have to decide whether they agree to grant fundamental rights to primates.

At the federal level, the Swiss must also say whether they accept the new law which provides for additional support measures for the media, in the face of falling advertising revenues.

A "no" is emerging, however, according to the polls.

Opponents of the law denounce a "looting of public coffers" which makes the media dependent on the state and which will benefit the large press groups.

© 2022 AFP