The extreme right of Swiss failed in its purpose of preventing what it calls a “uncontrolled immigration” towards that prosperous country. The ‘No to a Switzerland of 10 million’ initiative, which intended stop the arrival of foreigners If the figure of 9.5 million inhabitants is reached in 2050 – out of the current 9.1 million – it was defeated in the referendum held this Sunday. The proposal was defended alone by the party Democratic Union of the Center (UCD), with far-right ideologyand was defeated although by a narrow margin: 55% of voters voted against, according to Swiss public television polls at the close of the polling stations.
It is an adjusted result, with a margin of error estimated at 2%. The broad support obtained for the proposal is striking, taking into account that both the Swiss Government and both chambers of Parliament rejected it. It is a result that reflects the increasing polarization in a country where every year the most diverse issues are put to a referendum, from agricultural policy to nuclear energy. Pre-election polls showed a notable division around an initiative that, if successful, would have placed the country in difficulties. Not only on an internal scale, the needs of foreign workers in practically all sectorsbut also with regard to the free movement of EU citizensin force since 2002 in this non-EU country. A victory for the initiative would have put its bilateral relations with Brussels in check.
A xenophobic proposal
The promoters of the consultation argued that the 2.5 million foreign residents that the country currently has are already too many. They maintain that immigration, in their opinion excessive, is the main cause of the house price risewhich also destabilizes the environmentsince it forces us to build more. They also attribute to immigration the increase in crime, the overload on the health system or the precariousness of public schools. For the UCD, “uncontrolled immigration” is the cause of all evil and the deterioration of the coexistence in a country identified with high standards of well-being. If it had succeeded, it would force the authorities to prepare to restrict the asylum o to family reunification when 9.5 million inhabitants were reached. The Swiss demographic evolution in recent years reflects a rapid growth in its population: from 7.3 million inhabitants in 2002 it has gone up to 9.1 million today, which means a 25% increase in a quarter of a century. The growth is attributed to immigration, in a country with a very low birth rate. Ultimately, if the far-right initiative had succeeded, Switzerland would have had to terminate the free movement of people agreement with the EU.
It was the third initiative promoted in a few years against immigration. It follows the 2020 consultation with the title ‘For moderate immigration (limitation initiative)’ and the previous one, from 2014, called ‘Against mass immigration’. Then its defenders prevailed by a narrow margin. According to the UCD, the country’s authorities have not implemented the ballot box mandate with due consequence.
The consultation, as a sign of identity
Direct democracy or consultations with the population are a kind of sign of identity for the Swiss country, although few initiatives end up succeeding and many administrative criteria must be overcome to be convened. To launch them, the initial support of 100,000 signatures is required. In almost a century and a half, some 250 consultations have been held, approximately half of those that were promoted. Last year alone, five popular consultations took place. Among those that prospered is that of 1990, which prohibited the construction of nuclear power plants, or that of 2009, which banned minarets.
This Sunday’s consultation was considered unprecedented on a global scale, which had sparked expectation throughout Europe for occurring in a peak moment for immigration, with increasingly restrictive measures, aimed at speeding up deportations and stopping the entry of non-EU citizens. Ideas that were unthinkable just a decade ago, such as the creation of camps or prisons for deportees outside the community territory, are a substantial part of the Migration Pact that came into force this past week in the EU. A victory of Yeah the initiative against the Switzerland “of 10 million” would have given wings to the already thriving far-right and right-wing populism of all kinds in Europe.
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