Swiss Voters Reject 10 Million Population Cap

A preliminary projection published by national broadcaster SRF showed that around 45% of voters supported the proposal, while 55% opposed it. The referendum had been compared to the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote in 2016.

The proposal, backed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, would have required the population not to exceed 10 million by 2050. If it remained above that threshold for two years, Switzerland would have had to terminate its free movement agreement with the EU. This alarmed businesses over concerns that it could bring an end to the free movement of labor between Switzerland and the EU, the country’s main trading partner.

Urs Bieri of the polling institute GFS Bern said the proposal was rejected because, although many people were concerned about population growth, they were not convinced by the plan and were worried about possible side effects. According to him, the initiative had been presented from the very beginning as a recipe for chaos. Voters were concerned about the negative consequences for Switzerland’s relations with the EU and for the labor market. He added that people were also worried about issues such as whether there would be enough workers in care and healthcare. There was also a sense, he said, that in the current international environment it was not wise for a small country to take such a step.