BERN – Voters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to limit the country’s population to 10 million, early projections suggest. While not all votes have been counted, the current trend indicates 55% of participants voted against the measure, compared to 45% in favor. The proposal originated from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, which has long campaigned on an anti-immigration platform. The divisive vote risked jeopardizing the country’s free movement agreement with the European Union.
Population Growth and Concerns
Switzerland’s population has grown rapidly since 2002, when it stood at 7.3 million. Now it is 9.1 million, with 27% not holding Swiss citizenship. However, the People’s Party’s argument that capping the population would reduce pressure on transport, housing, and the environment did not persuade enough voters. Although the Swiss People’s Party insisted the population cap was designed to protect public services and the environment, it has a long history of anti-immigrant campaigning, frequently blaming asylum seekers and minorities for societal problems.
Economic and Social Implications
Some voters were concerned about losing much-needed workers in tourism, hospitals, and care homes. Others, particularly Swiss business leaders, feared losing crucial access to Europe’s single market. Over half of all Swiss products are sold into the EU, but market access depends on Switzerland’s commitment to free movement of people. Had the population cap been approved, Switzerland would have had to terminate that agreement. It is also likely that some voters were nervous about a move that could leave the country isolated in an unstable world.
Switzerland’s system of direct democracy means all major decisions are taken via the ballot box. Campaigners simply need to gather 100,000 signatures to ensure a nationwide vote. Two young politicians with opposing views on limiting the population spoke prior to the vote.
Voices For and Against
“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 for a 2018 poster targeting Roma and traveller communities. He believes Switzerland’s problems, including a “housing shortage, gridlocked traffic, overburdened schools and strained social services,” are a direct result of immigration.
But Helin Genis, a 31-year-old Social Democrat elected to Bern city council, dismissed these arguments as scapegoating. She told BBC News: “It is not migrants who determine rent levels. It is not migrants who raise health insurance premiums. Nor is it migrants who make political decisions on housing, infrastructure or social investment.” Viewing problems “through the lens of migration does not lead to solutions, but to division,” she added.
Business and EU Relations
The prospect of the population cap caused alarm at Switzerland’s business association, Economiesuisse. Its chief economist Rudolf Minsch said that if the motion passed, Switzerland “could face challenges in our relations with the European Union.” Brussels has long warned non-EU members that they cannot cherry-pick advantages of the single market while avoiding commitments like free movement. “The EU is still by far the most important trading partner for Switzerland,” Minsch explained, adding that it is “in our interest to have stable and clear relationships with our main trading partner.”
Swiss employers were also worried about labour shortages and losing access to a Europe-wide pool of skilled workers. Half of all those working in Switzerland’s hotels are immigrants. Hospitals and care homes also rely on foreign workers. The Swiss People’s Party argued that immigration fuels increasing demand for hospital beds and school places, and that limiting immigration would ease pressure. Opponents said this is unrealistic, pointing out that 20% of the Swiss population is now over 65. Young workers and taxpayers are required to staff and fund the needs of an ageing population, and Switzerland is not creating those young workers itself, they warned.
Switzerland, like its neighbours in Europe, is spending more on defence and, despite its neutrality, is planning closer defence ties with its neighbours.
