Switzerland rejects the controversial far-right proposal that would impose a population ceiling of 10 million inhabitants to avoid new immigration and reunification policies. About an hour after the polls closed, the first projections from the gfs.bern institute indicate that around 55% of Swiss citizens rejected the proposal. The initiative was put in place by the far-right Democratic Union of the Center party with the aim of preventing the Swiss population – currently 9.1 million inhabitants – from exceeding 10 million by 2050. In a country where foreigners represent over a quarter of the population, the proposal, if approved, would have had a significant impact on immigration.
The UDC, Switzerland’s largest party, has insisted the need for drastic measures, blaming “mass immigration” for a host of problems, from housing shortages and rising rents to overcrowded trains and traffic jams. The proposal – which included restrictive measures on asylum, family reunification and residence permits – was opposed by the government, Parliament and the economic world which warned of the risk of “chaos” and possible repercussions on relations with the European Union, the country’s main trading partner, also evoking a “Swiss Brexit” scenario.
At the same time, voters were also called to express their opinion on a second referendum which aims to make the alternative civil service to compulsory military service less accessible. Also in this case the result promises to be very balanced, in a European context marked by the debate on the strengthening of the armed forces and the growing attention to security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.