Explanation of the Procedure and Aim of the Political Commentary
Just like PI Switzerland’s political commentaries for federal votes, the stance taken by PI Geneva is the outcome of a process that helps define integral positions for texts submitted to cantonal voting. Through this process, it is determined whether a text constitutes a step toward the vision of an integral society—meaning that it contributes to the transformation of society—or whether the proposal is merely a variation of the status quo that leads nowhere new. The PI Geneva group issues a judgment on these texts.
The result of this reflective process is a comprehensive survey of the current situation and translates into an integral voting recommendation based on concrete arguments.
The aim of the commentary is to encourage readers to come to their own conclusions with similar, vision-oriented considerations. The aim of an integral position is not to be right, but to lead people to greater awareness
Those responsible for this edition are: Aïma Andany, Marc Sneiders, François Suter
Note: translation made using Perplexity AI, reviewed by humans.
These proposals will be put to vote a cantonal on September 28, 2025
Our political comment covers only initiative IN 180 and law change 12575, i.e. topics 4 and 7 below.
Popular initiative 192 « Initiative piétonne : pour un canton qui marche »
Law modifying the law on mobility (LMob) (counter-project to IN 192)
Subsidiary question: IN 192 or counter-project?
Popular initiative 180 « Pour + de logements en coopérative »
Popular initiative 194 « OUI, je protège la police qui me protège ! »
Law modifying the law on administrative and financial management of the State 12574 (Pour préserver les prestations publiques, maîtrisons les charges lors de budgets déficitaires)
Law modifying the law on administrative and financial management of the State 12575 (Pour préserver les prestations publiques, maîtrisons les engagements lors de budgets déficitaires)
4 – Popular initiative 180 « Pour + de logements en coopérative »
What the initiative demands
By 2030, the State of Geneva must ensure that 10% of all housing is owned by non-profit housing cooperatives. For this, it will use the means already at its disposal (the initiative does not prescribe any new resources).
If the objective is not achieved by 2030, the State must establish a new plan to reach this goal. Once reached, this threshold must be maintained.
The State will work in collaboration with the municipalities to achieve this goal.
The implementation timeline of the initiative’s objectives, set for 2030, was realistic at the time it was submitted. However, the time needed until it could be submitted for a popular vote now makes meeting this deadline difficult. Integral vision of the future
Integral vision of the future
A “living place” is a space where life is experienced to the fullest. In particular, interpersonal tensions can be expressed and resolved in an environment of trust and safety. The home serves as the foundation of a supportive community for each of its residents. Above all, it offers security and well-being to all human beings.
Housing is in harmony with its surrounding environment and fosters an essential connection with nature.
Housing should go beyond the questions of ownership or renting. The community living there is the steward of the place, welcoming to anyone who comes.
Voting recommendation:YES
Supporting the development of non-profit housing cooperatives aligns with the holistic vision of how to inhabit the world. PI Geneva recommends accepting the initiative submitted to the vote.
Our thoughts on the topic:
The cooperative model encourages the creation of communities and brings the concept of “commons” back into focus. This re-connection, notably through the management of shared resources, seems to us an important and necessary evolution given the challenges facing humanity (the Earth is our common good for everyone). It allows for a renewed balance between individual and collective responsibility.
Since housing is a vital need, it cannot be subject to market forces like any other commodity. The cooperative model allows for escape from financial speculation in real-estate transactions.
At present, cooperatives generally do not have the means to purchase land themselves and must rely on land made available by the State. Will the State have the means to buy all the necessary land?
By limiting cooperatives to 10%, the initiative leaves room for a wide variety of types of housing, thus respecting individual freedom.
Specific requests from PI Geneva:
For housing cooperatives to be more than just a way to counter real estate speculation, and to fully realize their potential as tools of social transformation, not only land is needed but also support for collectives in governance, management of shared resources, and capacity to welcome and learn from interpersonal conflicts.
Innovative ideas, both ecological and social, are emerging from different cooperative movements. It would be desirable to support the funding of some of these ideas, in order to accelerate ecological and social transition, beyond usual financial constraints.
In general, beyond integrating these 10% of cooperatives into new neighborhoods to foster diversity, social ties, and harmony with nature, these elements should be more fundamentally integrated into all urban planning.
The notion of property could be redefined, since the Earth “belongs” to all its inhabitants. The concept of commons has been largely dismissed by economists, yet it represents an ancestral and alternative way between private property and state socialism. On this subject, see, for example, the work of David Bollier. His book in French, “La Renaissance des Communs”, is available for free download: https://www.eclm.fr/livre/la-renaissance-des-communs/
7 – Law modifying the law on administrative and financial management of the State 12575 (Pour préserver les prestations publiques, maîtrisons les engagements lors de budgets déficitaires)
What the law demands
This law amends the Law on the Administrative and Financial Management of the State (LGAF).
In the case of a deficit budget, the State could not include an increase in permanent positions (measured in full-time equivalents). The parliament (Grand Conseil) could authorize an increase in positions in the annual budget, in the same proportion as the annual increase in the canton’s population. This would require a two-thirds majority in the parliament.
The teaching staff would be excluded from this rule, as the needs for teachers are the subject of precise forecasts.
The State would still be able to hire auxiliary staff and specialized agents, whose contracts are time-limited (generally, 3 to 4 years, renewable only once).
Integral vision of the future
An integral vision goes beyond the polarization between the public sector (the State) and the private sector. Traditionally, the State is understood as being responsible for social functioning and infrastructure, while the Private Sector is regarded as a place primarily for financial profit. This polarization is bound to give way to a social and political structure better adapted to today’s serious and complex issues.
Our society finds an organic balance in the diversity of skills and their cooperation, comparable to the workings of a living organism’s various organs, each with a specific function and completely interdependent on the others. The harmony and health of the system depend on the maturity and responsibility of each citizen, without a superior organ needing to arbitrate (as with the current State) and without parts functioning in autarky without participating in the overall health and well-being (as with some current multinationals).
The flexibility and competence of institutions go beyond the concepts of “public” and “private,” moving toward the realization of general, human, and ecological well-being. Institutions help each other, and are flexible and adaptable to the crises that arise.
Money is then no longer an end in itself, generating fear, but rather a resource capable of supporting general functioning and exchanges, generating cooperation.
Voting recommendation:abstain
Our thoughts on the topic:
This law seemingly responds to a reasonable desire to curb personnel spending by the State when facing a budget deficit; however, it does not address the underlying problems and reinforces an outdated and inadequate vision of the State’s responsibilities and duties.
It highlights reasoning that is focused solely on economic concerns and thus remains partial, superficial, and has no impact on the fundamental problems of our society nor on the creative and complex solutions these problems require. Furthermore, the impact of this law seems negligible, since, since the late 1990s, the number of State employees and the population have grown in parallel, even in cases of budget surpluses (see graph below). That said, we cannot consider this correlation structural, and indeed, it is appropriate to question it.
The law nevertheless raises the valid question of the ongoing increase in permanent State positions.
Notes on the graph:
The chart plots the number of State employees (in blue) versus the population of the Canton (in red).
The number of employees refers to full-time equivalents.
The methods of counting personnel as well as the population have varied over time, but the trends remain valid.
The number of employees and the population are not shown to the same scale, but their increase is indeed linearly correlated
Specific requests from PI Geneva:
In the current form of our societies, the State plays an important role as social glue, uniting around it the great variety of individuals making up our society. It is also the guarantor of essential services for the population. Despite this complexity, Integral Politics wishes that the State questions its use of available resources. For example, the rigid structure of budgets allocated by departments hinders a fluid and effective response to fluctuating needs.
Integral Politics expects the State to evaluate the emerging AI tools that could, initially, allow for greater efficiency in some areas, possibly reducing the number of employees, but also free up resources for other sectors that need them. In the longer term, these tools could enable more effective coordination than that provided by a “superior or state organ,” supporting a more horizontal structure for collective social life and thus fostering greater awareness among citizens.
More broadly, Integral Politics wants proposed laws to find their roots and source in a humanistic, collective vision that is confident in the human potential for collaboration. It refuses to have to position itself on legislative proposals that do not address underlying problems and waste precious time and resources that should be invested more wisely.
Integral Politics supports creative, open, and cooperative political thinking that inspires and unites the living forces of true “human resources,” beyond their fictitious economic value.
Integral Politics was very visible at the Integral European Conference (IEC) 2025 in Hungary. We even might have founded Integral Politics International! IP Switzerland’s delegation
A guest article by Barbara Küchler The first stage of development (baby) unconsciously influences our relationship and communication behavior – on the one hand through
Geneva cantonal voting – September 28, 2025
Explanation of the Procedure and Aim of the Political Commentary
Just like PI Switzerland’s political commentaries for federal votes, the stance taken by PI Geneva is the outcome of a process that helps define integral positions for texts submitted to cantonal voting. Through this process, it is determined whether a text constitutes a step toward the vision of an integral society—meaning that it contributes to the transformation of society—or whether the proposal is merely a variation of the status quo that leads nowhere new. The PI Geneva group issues a judgment on these texts.
The result of this reflective process is a comprehensive survey of the current situation and translates into an integral voting recommendation based on concrete arguments.
The aim of the commentary is to encourage readers to come to their own conclusions with similar, vision-oriented considerations. The aim of an integral position is not to be right, but to lead people to greater awareness
Those responsible for this edition are: Aïma Andany, Marc Sneiders, François Suter
Note: translation made using Perplexity AI, reviewed by humans.
These proposals will be put to vote a cantonal on September 28, 2025
Our political comment covers only initiative IN 180 and law change 12575, i.e. topics 4 and 7 below.
4 – Popular initiative 180 « Pour + de logements en coopérative »
What the initiative demands
By 2030, the State of Geneva must ensure that 10% of all housing is owned by non-profit housing cooperatives. For this, it will use the means already at its disposal (the initiative does not prescribe any new resources).
If the objective is not achieved by 2030, the State must establish a new plan to reach this goal. Once reached, this threshold must be maintained.
The State will work in collaboration with the municipalities to achieve this goal.
The implementation timeline of the initiative’s objectives, set for 2030, was realistic at the time it was submitted. However, the time needed until it could be submitted for a popular vote now makes meeting this deadline difficult.
Integral vision of the future
Integral vision of the future
A “living place” is a space where life is experienced to the fullest. In particular, interpersonal tensions can be expressed and resolved in an environment of trust and safety. The home serves as the foundation of a supportive community for each of its residents. Above all, it offers security and well-being to all human beings.
Housing is in harmony with its surrounding environment and fosters an essential connection with nature.
Housing should go beyond the questions of ownership or renting. The community living there is the steward of the place, welcoming to anyone who comes.
Voting recommendation: YES
Supporting the development of non-profit housing cooperatives aligns with the holistic vision of how to inhabit the world. PI Geneva recommends accepting the initiative submitted to the vote.
Our thoughts on the topic:
Specific requests from PI Geneva:
7 – Law modifying the law on administrative and financial management of the State 12575 (Pour préserver les prestations publiques, maîtrisons les engagements lors de budgets déficitaires)
What the law demands
This law amends the Law on the Administrative and Financial Management of the State (LGAF).
In the case of a deficit budget, the State could not include an increase in permanent positions (measured in full-time equivalents). The parliament (Grand Conseil) could authorize an increase in positions in the annual budget, in the same proportion as the annual increase in the canton’s population. This would require a two-thirds majority in the parliament.
The teaching staff would be excluded from this rule, as the needs for teachers are the subject of precise forecasts.
The State would still be able to hire auxiliary staff and specialized agents, whose contracts are time-limited (generally, 3 to 4 years, renewable only once).
Integral vision of the future
An integral vision goes beyond the polarization between the public sector (the State) and the private sector. Traditionally, the State is understood as being responsible for social functioning and infrastructure, while the Private Sector is regarded as a place primarily for financial profit. This polarization is bound to give way to a social and political structure better adapted to today’s serious and complex issues.
Our society finds an organic balance in the diversity of skills and their cooperation, comparable to the workings of a living organism’s various organs, each with a specific function and completely interdependent on the others. The harmony and health of the system depend on the maturity and responsibility of each citizen, without a superior organ needing to arbitrate (as with the current State) and without parts functioning in autarky without participating in the overall health and well-being (as with some current multinationals).
The flexibility and competence of institutions go beyond the concepts of “public” and “private,” moving toward the realization of general, human, and ecological well-being. Institutions help each other, and are flexible and adaptable to the crises that arise.
Money is then no longer an end in itself, generating fear, but rather a resource capable of supporting general functioning and exchanges, generating cooperation.
Voting recommendation: abstain
Our thoughts on the topic:
Furthermore, the impact of this law seems negligible, since, since the late 1990s, the number of State employees and the population have grown in parallel, even in cases of budget surpluses (see graph below). That said, we cannot consider this correlation structural, and indeed, it is appropriate to question it.
Notes on the graph:
The number of employees refers to full-time equivalents.
The methods of counting personnel as well as the population have varied over time, but the trends remain valid.
The number of employees and the population are not shown to the same scale, but their increase is indeed linearly correlated
Specific requests from PI Geneva:
Photo by Meizhi Lang on Unsplash
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