Swiss voters reject population cap proposal in clear majority

Switzerland has rejected an initiative to cap its population at 10 million, Reuters reports.

According to preliminary projections by the national broadcaster SRF, around 55% of voters opposed the proposal, while 45% supported it.

The referendum, which has been compared to Brexit-style voting, raised significant concerns among businesses, as its adoption could have led to the termination of free movement of labour between Switzerland and the EU, the country’s main trading partner.

The initiative, put forward by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, proposed that Switzerland’s population should not exceed 10 million by 2050. If the threshold were surpassed for two consecutive years, the country would have been required to terminate its free movement agreement with the EU.

Urs Bieri from polling ⁠firm GFS Bern said the proposal failed to convince voters. “Voters were worried about negative consequences for Switzerland's relationship with the EU and for the labour market,” he said.

Bieri added that citizens were also concerned about potential labour shortages in care and healthcare sectors and considered the initiative unrealistic under current international conditions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada