The Swiss surprisingly clearly rejected the immigration initiative, when in the referendum 55 percent of the population voted against, roughly 45 percent were in favor, and participation in the referendum was around 60 percent of the population, the BBC reported with reference to preliminary results. Observers expected a tighter vote score.
Definitive results should be known within a few hours.
“During the campaign I had the feeling that many people had had enough of this ongoing division, according to which migrants are to blame for everything,” said Cédric Wermuth, co-chairman of the Swiss Social Democrats.
According to ARD television news, cities “mobilized”, especially in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, where a number of large international companies are based, and if the referendum were to go in favor of the proposal, it would significantly affect employment.
The Swiss population is growing much faster than in the neighboring EU countries, with foreigners making up almost 28 percent of the population there. Official forecasts predict that the country’s population will reach the limit of 10 million around 2040.
The SVP party proposed that if the population reaches 9.5 million, the government would have to take anti-immigration measures, which would concern the granting of asylum, family reunification, or enabling permanent residence. At the same time, this would also mean the necessity to negotiate new terms of international agreements, which, among other things, could lead to a cooling of relations with the EU.
Although many Swiss share concerns about the problems associated with a growing population, in the end the fear of possible side effects in relation to the EU labor market, should the change go through, seems to have prevailed, said Urs Bieri of the GFS Bern agency, which conducts surveys.
“People are also worried about things like a possible shortage of caregivers and health workers. There is also a feeling that in the current international environment it is not reasonable for a small country to do something like this,” Bieri added.
The European Union represents Switzerland’s main trade partner – CNN reminded that US President Donald Trump last year imposed the highest US tariffs in Europe precisely on Swiss goods.
