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In Switzerland they are voting on naturalisation... which means you are at the whim of people living in the same place. If you don't fit in you'll have a hard time, if they don't like you for whatever reason etc, wrong hair colour, you name it. In Germany it's an administrative act with clear demands.

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Citizens voting on naturalization was abolished by federal court decision since 2008.

You can still be voted on by the city council though, but they are required to provide a reason and „wrong hair color“ will not pass legal challenge.

We are both correct in a way. Local authorities can still decide applications. It's no longer a secret ballot but naturalisation commissions, local councils, municipal parliaments, or assemblies.

Some decisions still make headlines though because the reasons are rather weird sometimes.

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