On Sunday, June 14th Swiss citizens voted against creating an official cap on the number of people in the country.
On a 60% turnout, 55% of participants rejected the proposal to limit the population to 10 million people. The remaining 45% of voters favoured the “No to Ten Million Switzerland” initiative. Current population figures for Switzerland stand at 9.1 million, with immigration a key driver of recent increases: 27% of residents are not Swiss citizens.
The anti-immigration Swiss People’s Party argued for the measure by pointing to pressure on infrastructure and public services. In contrast, a coalition including business, the government, and some labour unions argued that flexibility with numbers was essential to ensure staff for various industries, including tourism and social care.
Supporters of a ‘no’ vote accused their opponents of putting the country’s free movement agreement with the European Union in jeopardy—hence the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcoming the result:
The Swiss people have spoken. The EU and Switzerland share deep ties and a strong partnership.
In contrast, Swiss People’s Party president Marcel Dettling said the vote showed that “the population wants solutions. Not a single problem has been solved.”
UPDATE: For further coverage, click here.
