Swiss Reject Population Cap in Referendum

Swiss voters rejected a proposal to cap their country’s population at 10 million in a referendum held on Sunday. Preliminary projections by national broadcaster SRF indicated that about 55% of voters opposed the measure, while 45% supported it.

The initiative, championed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), aimed to prevent Switzerland's population from exceeding 10 million before 2050. If passed, the proposal would have required stricter immigration rules once the population reached 9.5 million, with potential termination of international agreements that contribute to population growth.

The rejection signifies a majority prioritizing economic stability and ties to the European Union over concerns about immigration’s impact on public services, rents, and crime. The referendum had put businesses on edge due to fears it could end free movement of labor between Switzerland and the EU, its main trading partner. According to Reuters, opponents dubbed the plan a recipe for chaos because of the upheaval it would cause for Swiss companies, workers, and Bern's ties with the EU.

The SVP argued that public services and housing have come under pressure from mass immigration, while critics highlighted the economic benefits of migration. The federal government and parliament opposed the idea, warning it could threaten national stability and harm prosperity. Recent polling had forecast a close outcome, aligning with Al Jazeera, which reported that recent surveys suggested a narrow rejection.

The vote was held under Switzerland's direct democracy system, where voting booths closed at noon, with most votes cast in advance by post. The first set of results were expected by mid-afternoon. Tensions ran high over the 'No to a Switzerland with 10 million!' initiative, according to Daily Mail. Critics warned that if passed, the initiative could cause economic chaos and harm relations with the EU.

The Swiss will also vote on a bill passed by parliament to make civilian service less attractive and less accessible. The political left in Switzerland called for this referendum, arguing the bill is dangerous and could lead to the alternative to military service being scrapped altogether. Opinion polls suggest that this vote will also be close.

Preliminary results shared by the federal government showed that nearly 53% of voters rejected the proposal, with nationwide turnout exceeding 57%. Results were still pending from many of Switzerland's 26 cantons. In Geneva, Switzerland's second-largest city and a hub of U.N. institutions and humanitarian groups, early results showed about two-thirds of voters in the region opposed the measure.

Geneva will be hosting the G7 economic summit this week, welcoming U.S. President Trump among other world leaders. Maria Lalu, a former diplomatic mission worker from the Philippines who arrived in Switzerland in the early 1980s, said she supported the proposal. 'I have nothing against immigration. I also am a stranger,' she said after casting her vote, adding that she wants immigration to be more orderly.

Schoolteacher Natascha Robert said she voted against the bid, expressing concern that approval could hurt Switzerland's relationship with the EU. She also said Switzerland's growing diversity is an asset. 'I think people always have something to bring us,' she said outside a polling station in the central Paquis neighborhood, emphasizing that she was born in Switzerland to two Swiss parents. 'Does that mean that we have more foreigners, I feel less Swiss? Really, not.'