Were they stolen? 5000 signatures gone - initiative becomes a criminal case
The association behind the food protection initiative wants to press criminal charges: At least 5000 certified signatures are missing from a recount - their whereabouts are unclear.
04.06.2026, 07:14
04.06.2026, 09:06
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- The association of the Food Protection Initiative wants to press charges against persons unknown due to at least 5000 missing signatures.
- Their whereabouts are unclear; according to the association, the initiative would probably have reached the required 100,000 votes with them.
- However, the Federal Chancellery only counted around 96,400 valid signatures, while the committee claims to have submitted over 104,000.
The association behind the food protection initiative will file criminal charges against persons unknown for the missing signatures. At least 5000 signatures were missing in an official count, as the association wrote.
Where the signatures are at the moment remains to be seen, the association for GMO-free food wrote in a press release on Thursday. As they are crucial for the initiative's success, a complete investigation is required.
According to the association, the municipalities have certified and validated at least 5,000 signatures that were missing in a recount by the Federal Chancellery. According to the initiators, this figure is based on a survey of 240 municipalities. According to the press release, they expect the number of missing signatures to be even higher. What is behind the difference is just as unclear as the whereabouts of the signatures.
The association assumes that if these lost signatures had been counted, the target of 100,000 signatures would "very probably" have been exceeded - and a referendum would have been held.
Close result of the first check
Due to the close result of the first count, a recount of the signatures for the initiative "For GMO-free food (food protection initiative)" was ordered at the end of March. According to the Federal Chancellery, a cross-departmental additional count is necessary if the Federal Chancellery identifies between 95,000 and 101,000 valid signatures.
The first count by the Federal Chancellery and a second check in accordance with the multiple-eye principle resulted in around 98,200 signatures, as the Federal Chancellery announced at the time. Accordingly, 96,400 of these signatures are likely to be valid. The initiative committee contradicted this in March. According to its own information, it submitted 104,015 certified signatures to the Federal Palace.
