Key legal question
Whether the popular counterproposal had a sufficient subject-matter nexus to the cantonal proposal
Extracted holding
The counterproposal, taken as a whole, had a sufficiently close connection to the proposal because it pursued the same goal of limiting airport expansion and flight noise, while going only slightly further in implementation.
Extracted reasoning
Political rights under Art. 34 BV require a sufficient factual nexus. For a referendum with counterproposal, the standard may be somewhat stricter than for a parliamentary counterproposal, but the counterproposal may still extend the same objective modestly. The additions on flight routes, rapid exit taxiways, and procedural veto mechanisms were still linked to the airport operation and to the same legislative purpose.