©Ronnie Schmutz via Unsplash
A majority of Swiss voters rejected a proposal in a referendum on Sunday to impose a maximum population of 10 million.
With the campaign “No to a Switzerland with 10 million inhabitants,” the right-wing conservative and nationalist Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC)—which is also the country’s largest party—asked the Swiss people whether there should be a maximum population limit. In recent weeks, the Swiss public appeared deeply divided on this controversial issue, which was also heavily discussed on social media.
The Swiss People’s Party wants the total population to be capped at 10 million by 2050. Switzerland’s largest party is thus advocating for a population cap. Switzerland currently has 9.1 million inhabitants. At present, immigrants make up more than a quarter of the Swiss population. The majority of them come from the European Union. The right-wing party is pushing for strict limits on family reunification and new asylum applications, so that Switzerland would not exceed 10 million inhabitants.
If the population were to exceed 9.5 million by 2050, family reunifications and new asylum applications would be restricted. Under this system, approximately 40,000 immigrants would still be allowed to enter the country annually. If the population were to rise above 10 million, Switzerland would have to suspend the free movement of persons with the European Union, putting cooperation with its largest export market in jeopardy. This is because the so-called “guillotine clause” stipulates that all bilateral agreements would lapse if one agreement were terminated.
In total, 54.8 percent of Swiss voters opposed the proposal, while 45.2 percent supported it.
Although Switzerland is not a member of the EU, it is part of the Schengen Area, where the free movement of people applies. The SVP therefore wanted to severely restrict that principle. Once the population reached 10 million, the agreements with the EU on free movement would have to be suspended or renegotiated. But the Swiss people voted against this idea in a referendum. This is evident from the final results after all votes in the 26 cantons were counted.
Voter turnout was 58.9 percent. “With their decision today, the citizens have sent a signal of stability, openness, and reliability,” said Swiss Minister of Justice and Police Beat Jans afterward.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reacted to the result. “The Swiss people have spoken,” she wrote on X. She said she respected the result and expressed hope for continued close cooperation between the EU and Switzerland.
©Ronnie Schmutz via Unsplash