This unusual provision of the law in Switzerland would make people from other countries open their mouths in surprise. In many places around the world, being annoying has become all too normal, however, the Swiss don’t agree with that.
In Switzerland, applications for naturalization are decided not at the federal level, but rather by the country’s cantons and municipalities—and the applicants’ peers have a say in whether naturalization gets granted.
This was the case of one Nancy Holten, 45, who was born in the Netherlands. At the age of 8, however, she moved with her family to Switzerland, which Holten has called home for more than 30 years.
However, Holten was harshly rejected for a Swiss passport—which is also to say, effectively, for naturalized Swiss citizenship. For the second time.
The reason being that in Switzerland, applications for citizenship are not decided at the federal level, but rather by the people — more specifically, the applicants’ friends and colleagues. This set of people have a say in whether naturalization gets granted.
Unfortunately for Nancy Holten, her friends did not think it right to give her Swiss citizenship. Because despite all the ways she is Swiss, Holten is extremely vocal about being a vegetarian and by so doing she has challenged several customs that the Swiss hold dear.
In 2015, Holten’s application for naturalization was approved by local authorities but then rejected, in a vote, by 144 of 206 local residents.
In November of 2016, a similarly sized group gathered at a communal assembly to hear Holten’s case. However, some of the attendees booed her as the debates took place.
Even Tanja Suter, the president of the local branch of the Swiss People’s Party, complained to reporters that Holten has a “big mouth”. He emphasized that Holten would not get Swiss citizenship “if she annoys us and doesn’t respect our traditions.”
Swiss citizenship by naturalization law requires that the applicant must demonstrate integration into the Swiss way of life and familiarity with Swiss habits, customs and traditions.
These two requirements are what helped Holten’s fellow villagers to have a basis of rejecting her application for citizenship.
