▲ Swiss referendum to cap population at 10 million rejected
A Swiss referendum on whether to cap the country's population at 10 million has been rejected.
Foreign media outlets, including Bloomberg, reported that the proposal—which aimed to control the total national population to ensure it does not exceed 10 million by 2050—was defeated in a referendum held on Sunday, June 14 (local time), with 45% in favor and 55% against.
Voter turnout was recorded at 57%.
Switzerland, which currently has a population of 9.1 million, has seen its population grow by 2 million since the turn of the 21st century due to an influx of immigrants.
The Swiss People's Party (SVP), a right-wing populist party, spearheaded the proposal, dubbed the "Sustainability Initiative." They argued that the rapid increase in the foreign-born population has overloaded national infrastructure, caused housing rents to soar, and threatened the country's national identity.
Bloomberg reported that while support for the measure was stronger in rural areas, a surge of "no" votes from major French-speaking cities in the west, such as Geneva and Lausanne, led to its rejection.
Had the proposal passed, the Swiss government would have been required to take measures to keep the population at or below 10 million by 2050. If the population had reached 9.5 million before that, the government would have been obligated to restrict refugee admissions, family reunification, and the issuance of residence permits.
In such a scenario, Switzerland might have been forced to scrap its bilateral agreements with the European Union (EU), which guarantee the free movement of citizens between both sides.
(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.