Reported by Consejeros Editorial Team
In the referendum held this weekend in Switzerland, the public has rejected a 10-million population cap, which would effectively have meant tighter controls on immigration. The referendum, which was rejected by a 55% to 45% margin, has brought great relief to the business community, which saw it as a threat to the free movement of people with the EU, its main market.
The initiative by the Swiss People’s Party, the country’s main political force, proposed, in the name of demographic sustainability, introducing a limit of ten million permanent residents into the Federal Constitution by 2050. Had it been successful, the government would have been forced to adopt restrictive measures once the population reached 9.5 million. These potential measures included tightening asylum policies and restrictions on family reunification, and even renegotiating or abandoning the agreement on the free movement of persons with the European Union if the demographic limit could not be maintained.
Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, which allows citizens to propose changes to the Constitution, has facilitated the holding of more than 650 referendums since its foundation as a confederation in 1848. Of this figure, 551 have taken the form of popular initiatives, such as the one rejected yesterday regarding the maximum of 10 million inhabitants. With more than 100,000 signatures, these initiatives ensure that the proposal reaches the ballot box even if Parliament does not agree. The high number of initiatives (551) stands out against the low approval rate (26), and shows that political consensus takes precedence, but the debate on issues sensitive to society remains permanently open.
Switzerland has a population of around 9 million. Although it has been a destination for immigration for five decades, over the last decade the population has grown by nearly 10 per cent, compared with 2 per cent in the European Union, according to World Bank data. A quarter of Swiss residents are foreign nationals.
