Facts
[Y.] is an Albanian national who came to Switzerland in 1991 and has been residing in the Political Municipality of Oberriet since 1993. She has been employed at A. AG in Oberriet since 1995 and lives with her disabled son X. and her son Z. and his family. [Y.] has submitted several applications for naturalization, which were rejected by the Citizens' Assembly of the Political Municipality of Oberriet. The Department of the Interior of the Canton of St. Gallen overturned the rejections and remanded the matter for re-consideration by the municipality. However, the Citizens' Assembly continued to reject the naturalization, prompting [Y.] to file a complaint.
Considerations
The Federal Supreme Court finds that while the municipal Citizens' Assemblies have a wide margin of discretion in naturalization matters and can demand a "certain local integration", it is not permissible to use membership in associations or other organizations as the sole criterion for sufficient integration. Rather, integration must be understood as a gradual adaptation to Swiss customs, taking into account other aspects such as language skills, integration into the work process, and personal responsibility.
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