Just over a week ago the campaign only had 82,000 signatures, according to the website of the committee, which launched a last-ditch appeal for more signatures. Speaking to the Tribune de Genève on Wednesday, Wobmann conceded that it was a close-run thing. We are a small committee... we were lacking people to help us gather the signatures,” he told the paper. The issue has been on the political table in Switzerland since the canton of Ticino voted in favour of a ban in a cantonal vote in 2013. But since then only a few fines have been issued, including one for a Swiss woman who flouted the ban in deliberate protest.

Source: The Local September 13, 2017 10:07 UTC