Operation Libero is a liberal transpartisan political movement in Switzerland.
History Operation Libero was launched in the aftermath of the acceptance of the Swiss immigration referendum in October 2014 by members of the Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy (foraus), a Zürich-based think tank. It aims to promote an open-minded, multicultural and forward-looking Switzerland, as opposed to the national conservative and isolationist approach promoted by the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) and the Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (AUNS/ASIN/ASNI).Operation Libero gegen eine SVP-Schweiz, Tages-Anzeiger, Accessed on 14 February 2015
In February 2016, Operation Libero emerged as the driving force in the campaign against the referendum on the popular initiative on the effective expulsion of foreign criminals promoted by the SVP/UDC,Change the narrative: how a Swiss group is beating rightwing populists, The Guardian, accessed 8 April 2019 which was eventually rejected thanks to a large mobilisation in metropolitan areas. The innovative and effective campaigning approach raised an unprecedented attention by domestic and foreign media.Der Albtraum der SVP, Tages-Anzeiger, accessed on 25 November 2017Shift Happens: Switzerland’s Triumph Over Populism Politics, HuffPost, accessed on 25 November 2017 Other successful campaigns were run on referendums related to marriage equality (February 2016), asylum regulations (June 2016),Plébiscite en faveur de la naturalisation facilitée pour la troisième génération , Le Temps, accessed on 13 February 2017Sieger wollen liberaleres Bürgerrecht, Tages-Anzeiger, accessed on 13 February 2017Unerwartet klares Verdikt gegen die USR III, NZZ, accessed 13 February 2017 and easier naturalisation for third-generation immigrants (February 2017).Plébiscite en faveur de la naturalisation facilitée pour la troisième génération , Le Temps, accessed on 13 February 2017Sieger wollen liberaleres Bürgerrecht, Tages-Anzeiger, accessed on 13 February 2017Unerwartet klares Verdikt gegen die USR III, NZZ, accessed on 13 February 2017
At the end of August 2022, Operation Libero, together with La Suisse en Europe, Suisseculture, Volt Switzerland, the Association of Swiss Student Bodies (VSS) and the Green Party of Switzerland, founded the Europe Initiative, a civil society alliance aimed at obliging the Federal Council to open negotiations with the EU.
In late 2025, after Ameti and Manser-Egli announced their intent to step down as co-presidents, president of the Young Liberals Jonas Lüthy and vice-president Melanie Racine offered their candidacy for the co-presidency of Operation Libero to: "Renovate" and "make them liberal again". By the media, this was seen as a provocative move as the Young Liberals are seen as more classical liberal in contrast to Operation Libero's social liberalism.
Structure Operation Libero is structured as a national association with regional sections in Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zürich.
The head office is located in the Langstrasse district in Zürich.
Positions Operation Libero defines itself as a liberal transpartisan political movement. It stands for "an upheaval in the Swiss political landscape" and promotes the recognition interdependences at global and European level, freedom, progress and the rule of law.Libero – das Portrait. Its key position are the defence and promotion of free movement of persons between Switzerland and the European Union, a liberal immigration policy for third country nationals, citizenship rights based on residence, a close and constructive relationship with the European Union including an open discussion about membership, as well as an equal treatment of all forms of relationships including the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Its liberal approach is inspired by the principles of egalitarian justice, multicultural citizenship and constitutional patriotism. Its agenda can be described as social liberal and pro-European.
Campaigning Operation libero does not participate in political elections, but it is involved in referendum campaigns. It has a strong presence in social media through a team of "online warriors,"‘Online warrior’ fights for liberal values, Swissinfo, accessed on 25 November 2017 it organises activities at local level through its regional branches, and it is regularly invited at talkshows in the national talk shows.
It is funded through membership fees and targeted crowdfunding campaigns.100'000 Franken gesammelt: Operation Libero startet Einbürgerungs-Kampagne, watson, accessed on 25 November 2017
Co-Presidents Dominik Elser (2014–2016) Flavia Kleiner (2014-2020) Nicolas Zahn (2016) Laura Zimmermann (2016-2021) Stefan Manser-Egli (since 2020) Sanija Ameti (since 2021)
See also Liberalism and radicalism in Switzerland Contributions to liberal theory Liberalism worldwide Liberal democracy
References
External links
Official website