Swiss voters will decide Sunday whether to require the government to cap Switzerland’s population at 10 million by 2050, a proposal driven by the Swiss People’s Party as part of its long-running effort to curb immigration.
Switzerland’s system of direct democracy gives voters a direct role in policy decisions through referendums, typically held four times a year. Recent polling by gfs.bern suggested the vote could be close.
Supporters say population growth has strained infrastructure, housing, social programs, natural resources, and daily life. They object in particular to growing numbers of expatriates from the neighboring European Union.
Critics, including the federal government and Parliament, say the measure would harm Switzerland by weakening ties with the EU and limiting access to workers in health care, finance, pharmaceuticals, and technology.
Bernard Bapst, a Swiss People’s Party lawmaker from the Fribourg region and a former customs official, disputed any security risk from the proposal and said “various forms of criminality” have risen since Switzerland adopted an open-border policy.
Since Switzerland and the EU eased restrictions on citizens living and working across their borders in 2002, Switzerland’s population has grown 23% to 9.1 million as of the end of last year. Economic output also rose 24% over that period, according to government data.
If approved, the measure would require the government to act to keep the population below 10 million by 2050. If it reaches 9.5 million before then, authorities would have to restrict asylum, family reunification, and residence permits, and could be required to end Switzerland’s agreement with the EU on free movement of people.
Experts said immediate economic and demographic effects would likely be limited because of the long timeline.
Swiss voters have repeatedly weighed immigration over the past half-century. Only one such referendum, “Against mass immigration” in 2014, passed narrowly.