Swiss voters rejected a controversial proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million, with urban voters and older generations among the main groups voting against it. The proposal was promoted by the populist Swiss People’s Party.
Switzerland’s unique direct democracy model allows four referendums per year on any topic after reaching the required number of signatures. Last Sunday was one of those.
The Swiss People’s Party is currently the party with the most seats in the national parliament and has for years demonised immigration and proposed measures to rein it in. Sunday’s referendum would have ended Switzerland’s free movement of workers with the European Union and seriously jeopardised the relationship between Bern and Brussels.
Switzerland is not part of the EU, but four EU countries surround it, and the EU is by far its biggest trade partner. The country is part of the European Economic Area and, as such, enjoys free movement of trade and workers. Approval of the referendum could have seriously worsened this situation.
Business groups have been vocally opposed to the proposal, fearing it could end access to the European labour market, where many crucial workers are recruited. Also, the government was against the proposal.
According to the Swiss People’s Party, if approved, the government would have been forced to implement stricter immigration measures once the country reached 9.5 million residents – currently 9.1 million – to block access completely once the population reached 10 million.
Switzerland currently has a 32% foreign-born population, the third-highest in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The growth of foreign residents has been marked by several attempts to close the borders or restrict immigration. However, only one referendum on the topic passed, in 2014.
Swiss voters also shut down the most recent cap proposal. With a turnout of 59%, around 55% voters voted against the cap. All the biggest urban centres of the country, Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne and Basel voted strongly against the referendum, with two-thirds of people in Geneva opposing it. Overall, the French-speaking part of the country voted mostly against. The cap was supported in more rural areas.
Age-wise, the vote was split unusually. Voters aged 50-65 and those aged 65 and above both showed opposition to the cap, according to figures published by the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. Among the 50-65 age group, 57% were opposed, while citizens over 65 showed 60% opposition. Younger voters showed greater support, with 51% of the 35-49 age group backing the proposal. Data from the online news site 20 Minuten/Tamedia, conducted by pollster Leewas, showed that 48% of those aged 18 to 35 supported the cap.
Despite the defeat, the Swiss People’s Party said that it will continue to promote laws to limit immigration.
