What should be included in the referendum question?

FEDERAL ACT ONPOLITICAL RIGHTS

(Adopted 1976; last amended 2009)

http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/161_1/index.html

Title 2. Votes

Art. 11 Proposals submitted toa vote of the People, ballot papers and explanatory statements

(1) The Confederation shall provide thecantons with the proposals to be submitted to a vote of the People and theballot papers.

(2) Each proposal shall be accompanied by a short, objectiveexplanation from the Federal Council, which shall also take account of theopinions of significant minorities. The proposal must contain the wording ofthe questions on the ballot paper. In the case of popular initiatives andreferendums, the initiative committee shall inform the Federal Council of theirarguments and the Federal Council shall take such arguments into account in itsexplanatory statement…

(3) Persons eligible to vote shallreceive the documents required to cast a valid vote under cantonal law (ballotpaper, polling card, official voting envelope, validation stamp, etc.) aminimum of three and at the earliest four weeks prior to the polling day. Proposals submitted to a vote ofthe People and explanatory statements may be sent at an earlier date.The Federal Chancellery shall publish the proposals and the explanatorystatement electronically a minimum of six weeks prior to the polling day.

FEDERAL ACT ONPARLIAMENT

(Adopted 2002; last amended 2011)

http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/c171_10.html

Title 5. Procedure in the Federal Assembly

Chapter 3. Procedure for Popular Initiatives

Section 2: Popular Initiative for the Partial Revision of theFederal Constitution

a. General Provisions

Art. 98 Validity of popular initiatives

(1) The Federal Assembly shall declare a popular initiativewholly or partly invalid if it holds that the requirements of Article 139 paragraph 3 of theFederal Constitution have not been fulfilled.

Art. 99 Prohibition of the amendment of popular initiatives

Popular initiatives, or allthe valid parts thereof, must be submitted to the vote of the people as theystand.

FEDERAL CONSTITUTION OF THE SWISSCONFEDERATION

(Adopted1999; last amended 2013)

http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/c101.html

Title 4: The People and the Cantons

Chapter 2: Initiative and Referendum

Art. 139 Popular initiative requestinga partial revision of the Federal Constitution in specific terms

(3) If the initiative fails to comply with therequirements of consistency of form, and of subject matter, or if it infringesmandatory provisions of international law, the Federal Assembly shall declareit to be invalid in whole or in part.