Who decides the final ballot text when the initiative is put to a vote?

The law does not specify the actor that decides the final text in the case of an initiative for a complete revision of the constitution.

For initiatives that propose a partial revision of the constitution, the proposal, “or all the valid parts thereof, must be submitted to the vote of the people as [it stands]” (Art. 99,Federal Act on Parliament). However, during the registration of the initiative, the Federal Chancellery may amend the title of the initiative if it does not meet legal requirements (Art. 69(2), Federal Act on Political Rights). The Federal Assembly can declare the initiative invalid “in whole or in part” before it can be submitted to referendum (Art. 139(3), Federal Constitution; Art. 98(1), Federal Act on Parliament).

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. 138 Popular initiative requestingthe complete revision of the Federal Constitution

(1) Any 100,000 persons eligible to vote maywithin 18 months of the official publication of their initiative propose acomplete revision of the Federal Constitution.

(2) This proposal must be submitted to a vote ofthe People.

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

(1) Any 100,000 persons eligible to vote maywithin 18 months of the official publication of their initiative request apartial revision of the Federal Constitution.

(2) A popular initiative for the partialrevision of the Federal Constitution may take the form of a general proposal orof a specific draft of the provisions proposed.

(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.

FEDERAL ACT ONPARLIAMENT

(Adopted 2002; last amended 2011)

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

Title 5: Procedurein the Federal Assembly

Chapter 3:Procedure for Popular Initiatives

Section 1: PopularInitiative for the Complete Revision of the Federal Constitution

Art. 96. Where a popular initiative forthe complete revision of the Federal Constitution is declared successful, theFederal Assembly shall submit the initiative to the vote of the people.

Section 2: PopularInitiative for the Partial Revision of the Federal Constitution

a. GeneralProvisions

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 139paragraph 3 of the Federal Constitution have not been fulfilled.

Art. 99 Prohibition of the amendment of popular initiatives

Popular initiatives, or all the valid parts thereof, must be submitted to the vote ofthe people as they stand.

b. Popular Initiative in the Form of aDraft Proposal

Art. 102 Decisions on voting recommendations and counter-proposals

(1)Where the Federal Assembly submits a counter proposal in addition to thepopular initiative to the vote of the people and the Cantons, it may:

a.recommend that the popular initiative be rejected and the counter-proposalaccepted; or

b.recommend that both bills be accepted.

(2) Ifthe Assembly recommends the acceptance of both bills, it shall recommend thatvoters accept the counter-proposal in the third question.

c. Popular Initiative in theForm of a General Proposal

Art. 103 Approval or rejectionand popular vote

(1) The Federal Assembly shall decide within two years ofsubmission of a popular initiative in the form of a general proposal whether itapproves or rejects the initiative.

(2) If the Federal Assembly rejects the popular initiative, itshall submit the initiative to the vote of the people.

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 the cantons withthe proposals to be submitted to a vote of the People and the ballot papers.

(2) Each proposal shall be accompanied by a short, objective explanation fromthe Federal Council,which shall also take account of the opinions of significant minorities. Theproposal must contain the wording of the questions on the ballot paper…

Title 5: ThePopular Initiative

Art. 69 Preliminaryexamination

(2) Where the title of an initiative ismisleading, or if it contains commercial advertising or personal publicity orgives rise to confusion, it shall be amended by the Federal Chancellery.

ORDINANCE ONPOLITICAL RIGHTS

(Adopted 1978; last amended 2012)

http://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/19780105/index.html

2. Abschnitt: Abstimmungen

Art. 3 Vorbereitung

(1) Die Bundeskanzlei trifft die nach dengesetzlichen Vorschriften zur Durchf?hrung der Abstimmung n?tigen Massnahmen.

(2) Sie arbeitet zusammen mit dem zust?ndigenDepartement die Erl?uterungen aus und unterbreitet sie dem Bundesrat zurBeschlussfassung.

Thefinal form of the ballot is decided by the Federal Council and the FederalChancellery (Art. 11, Federal Act onPolitical Rights; Art. 3, Ordinanceon Political Rights).