2. Switzerland
Fraiser 2012 – 8.80/10
Cato 2013 – 8.75/10
Freedom House 2016 – 96/100
In many previous years, Switzerland topped all the rankings as the best place to be born and live happy and free life. However, this year, Swiss stepped down from the throne and came in second on the list of freest countries in the world. Let’s see why. Whether it’s a consequence of the 2015 parliamentary elections and the victory of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party or the refugee crisis, the process of gaining citizenship became more difficult – restrictive laws shut the door on immigrants and their children regarding their participation in the politics. As for the legitimate Swiss voters, they are more than encouraged to engage in matters of the state, since direct democracy and the possibility to challenge the law, already passed by Parliament, is the foundation of their liberated society. Aloofness towards the Islamic creed is made clear with banning the construction of mosques and minarets and an ongoing discussion whether face-covering veils should be banned too. Nevertheless, besides this obvious reaction on Muslim radicalism, Switzerland is a financial haven, where with a single ticket you can travel all day across the entire country while eating chocolate and drinking instant coffee. In Switzerland, even guinea pigs have rights, as it is prohibited by law to keep them on their own – being a sociable animal, the owner must have at least two guinea pigs. Therefore, it’s not surprising that, animal lawyers are the real thing there.
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