In a national referendum, the Swiss electorate rejected a proposed “population cap.” According to initial projections from the GfS Bern Institute, 55 percent of participants voted against the amendment submitted by the initiative “No 10-Million-Swiss,” while 45 percent supported it.
The proponents of the initiative aimed to limit immigration from abroad into Switzerland. They proposed amending the federal constitution with a new article concerning “sustainable population development,” mandating that the permanent resident population not exceed ten million before 2050. Should the country’s population reach over 9.5 million before that deadline, the initiative outlined measures such as denying residence permits for temporary asylum seekers and restricting family reunification. Furthermore, terminating the free movement agreement with the EU was listed as a potential option. It is worth noting that the Federal Council, parliament, and the Council of States all recommended against this initiative.
In addition to the population cap issue, voters also cast ballots on amendments to the Civil Service Act. Initial results from the GfS Bern Institute showed that 53 percent of attendees voted in favor and 47 percent opposed these legislative changes. This vote specifically concerned making the transition from military service to civil service more difficult. The Young Greens and the Civil Service Association initiated the referendum against the parliament’s decision. However, the Federal Council and parliament had recommended the adoption of the Civil Service Act.
