Parliament has rejected a motion by the Green Party to give all foreigners living in Switzerland for 5 years the right to vote and stand in elections.
It also rejected another motion by the Social Democrats to give political rights to foreign residents at a local level.
Supporters of the move say 20% of the population is not Swiss – and so have no democratic say in how the country is run.
But opponents argue that foreigners should apply for citizenship before being given the right to vote, and that should remain a decision by the communes and cantons.
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