Swiss voters on Sunday rejected [press report, in German] a referendum to phase out the nation’s nuclear power program. The referendum failed [SRF report, in German] with 54.2 % of voters agreeing to keep nuclear power programs with only 45.8 % voting to do away with nuclear options. The referendum was sponsored by the Green party of Switzerland [official site, in German] who hoped to remove nuclear power options from the country citing a transition to renewable energies was better for the long term safety of the country after the Fukushima nuclear disaster [JURIST news archive]. The measure would have included a 45-year phase out of nuclear power options while creating renewable energy alternatives. Yet the opposition [SRF report] stated such a move would be costly for the nation, a disaster for the economy and create a drastic change to energy availability in the country due to its timetable. Even though the referendum failed, it had 45% support which the Green party believes signals a change is to new energy forms is popularity supported and will still push for similar policies in the future.

Nuclear power and its many uses continue to raise questions on the international stage. The UN General Assembly in October voted to begin [JURIST report] negotiations on banning nuclear weapons, despite opposition votes from world leaders including the United States, Russia and the UK. The International Court of Justice in October refused [JURIST report] to hear a claim by the Marshall Islands that the world’s nuclear powers failed to halt the nuclear arms race. The Fukuoka High Court in April rejected [JURIST report] an appeal filed by citizens of Japan seeking to stop the operation of the only two remaining nuclear reactors in the country.