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Cap population at 10 million? Switzerland set to vote on an immigration limit
A petition to stop Switzerland's population has received 100,000 signatures, triggering a referendum.
Swiss flag is pictured at the Harbour in Geneva, Switzerland, March 13, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The petition launched by the Swiss People’s Party calls for the country’s constitution to promote “sustainable population development” and provide new powers to clamp down on asylum claims. Swiss citizens are allowed to put any idea to a national vote if enough signatures are collected within 18 months. The poll has secured 110,000 names a year before the deadline.
Petition quotes ‘population explosion’
Swiss People’s Party said the country’s annual intake of immigrants, including around 30,000 asylum seekers, had caused a “population explosion” that was unsustainable.
Since 2002, Switzerland’s population has increased by 1.5 million. In 2022 alone, including Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers, more than 180,000 people were added.
The party claims mass immigration is responsible for the population explosion and all the problems that result from it: the housing crisis, rising rents, increased health and social costs, traffic jams, crowded trains, power shortages, integration problems in schools, the health system near collapse and an increase in serious crime.
The party is no stranger to controversy
The Swiss People’s Party is the largest party in country’s Federal Assembly, with 62 members of the National Council and six of the Council of States.
It has long been a vocal critic of immigration, arguing it leads to a drain on social welfare and a loss of Swiss prosperity. They’ve previously accused foreigners of being overly represented amongst public insurance benefit recipients and other social welfare programmes.
The party is no stranger to controversy having successfully pushed for a ban on the construction of minarets back in 2009.
Critics of the referendum say it will harm the economy
Critics of the referendum say this referendum is one of the series of the never-ending referendums that are happening every year in the country. Employers also warned against renewed attempts to endanger the free movement of people, saying that immigration brings more prosperity to Switzerland.
The move comes in the midst of negotiations for a rapprochement between Switzerland and the EU. Switzerland is not in the European Union but has been part of the EU’s Schengen open-borders area since 2008.
