Swiss voters head to the polls Sunday to decide the fate of an anti-mass immigration proposal designed to cap the country’s population, with critics fearing a successful vote could provoke the equivalent of a Swiss “Brexit” as a next step.
AFP reports voting booths will open for just a few hours Sunday morning before closing at noon (1000 GMT), most of the votes having been cast in advance by post.
The first results are expected by mid-afternoon and if successful will mean Switzerland becomes the world’s first country to set a population cap.
The report details the “No to a Switzerland with 10 million!” initiative, put forward by the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) – which has the most seats in parliament – is drawing broad attention.
The SVP notes mass immigration to Switzerland is simply fuelling an ever-increasing demand for more hospital beds and more places in schools, and that limiting immigration would end the supply-side pressure of an endless migrant stream crossing the borders.
Since Switzerland and the European Union (E.U.) eased restrictions on citizens living and working within their combined areas in 2002, the Swiss population has surged by 23 percent as of the end of last year.
The report points out:
That proposal wants measures to stop the wealthy Alpine nation’s population — currently 9.1 million — going above 10 million before 2050.
In a country where foreigners make up over a quarter of the population, the proposal, if accepted, would slam the brakes on immigration.
The SVP insists drastic measures are needed with mass immigration delivering a whole host of problems including housing shortages and rising rents to overcrowded trains and traffic jams all driven by an endless influx of workers from the neighboring E.U. members.
It argues flooding the country with new arrivals is detrimental to everyone’s future and must be stopped.
“Switzerland is a small country that cannot be expanded,” SVP parliamentarian Yvan Pahud told AFP, before adding We “do not want to welcome all of Europe”.
But critics warned that, if passed, the initiative could cause “chaos”, possibly crippling swathes of the economy and the Alpine republic’s relations with the E.U., its main trading partner.
“The stakes are very high,” Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans told the Tribune de Geneve newspaper, warning the vote could lead on to a Swiss “Brexit” for the next step.
A “yes” vote will require the Swiss government to take action to cap the population by 2050.
Such plans could include limiting the number of people granted asylum in Switzerland, and ending family reunification rights for foreign workers.
International agreements which Switzerland has signed up to, including the E.U.’s free movement of people, will also have to be terminated.