Voters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to limit the country's population to 10 million, early projections suggest. With votes still being counted, 55% of participants voted against the measure, with 45% in favour.
The proposal came from the right-wing Swiss People's Party, which has long campaigned on an anti-immigration platform. The divisive vote risked putting the country's free movement agreement with the European Union in jeopardy. Switzerland's population has grown rapidly since 2002, when it stood at 7.3 million. Now it is 9.1 million, 27% of whom are not Swiss citizens.
“Swiss voters rejected a proposal to cap the population at 10 million, with 55% voting against.”
However, the People's Party's argument that capping the population would reduce pressure on transport, housing and the environment appear not to have persuaded enough voters. Although the party insisted the population cap was designed to protect Switzerland's public services and its environment, it has a long history of campaigning on an anti-immigrant platform, frequently blaming asylum seekers and minorities for societal problems.
Some voters were seemingly worried at the prospect of losing much-needed workers in tourism, hospitals, and care homes. Others, in particular Swiss business leaders, feared losing Switzerland's crucial access to Europe's single market. Over half of all Swiss products are sold into the EU, but their access to Europe's markets depends on Swiss commitment to Europe's free movement of people. Had the population cap been approved, Switzerland would have had to terminate that agreement.
It is also likely that some Swiss voters were nervous about a move which could leave their country isolated in what is a very unstable world. Although neutral, Switzerland, like its neighbours in Europe, is spending more on defence, and has been exploring ways to co-ordinate more closely with Europe on security.
Switzerland's system of direct democracy means all major decisions are taken via the ballot box. Campaigners simply have to gather 100,000 signatures to ensure a nationwide vote.
Two young politicians with opposing views on limiting the Swiss population spoke to the BBC prior to the vote. “We have lost control,” complained Nils Fiechter, 29, who represents the Swiss People's Party in canton Bern's parliament. “Unchecked immigration is leading to Switzerland no longer being Switzerland,” he said. In 2022, Fiechter and his co-president of the People's Party's youth wing were convicted of racial discrimination by the Swiss Federal Court, in relation to a poster they distributed in 2018 targeting Roma and traveller communities.
He believes Switzerland's problems, which he says include a “housing shortage, gridlocked traffic, overburdened schools and strained social services” are exacerbated by immigration. But the early projections suggest a majority of voters disagreed, opting instead to keep Switzerland's borders open.