Switzerland will vote to limit migration and population hitting 10 mn by 2050

Switzerland is gearing up for a crucial vote on measures aimed at curbing immigration to prevent the population from reaching 10 million before 2050.

The decision comes after sufficient signatures were submitted Wednesday, triggering the referendum under Switzerland’s direct democracy system.

The Swiss People’s Party (SVP), known for its hard-right stance, swiftly collected 114,600 signatures, surpassing the required threshold in record time.

Expressing concerns over “mass immigration,” the SVP emphasised the need to safeguard Switzerland’s unique landscape, quality of life, and prosperity for future generations.

Once the signatures are authenticated, the referendum process will proceed, a journey that typically spans months or even years before a final vote is cast. At the heart of the initiative is a proposed amendment to the Swiss constitution, mandating that the country’s permanent resident population does not exceed 10 million by 2050.

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Switzerland’s population stood at 8.82 million at the end of 2022, with foreigners constituting a significant quarter of the total populace.

The proposed amendment aims to define the permanent resident population to include both Swiss nationals and foreigners with long-term residence permits or stays exceeding 12 months.

The upcoming vote underscores Switzerland’s commitment to addressing demographic challenges and ensuring sustainable population growth in the decades ahead.

If it exceeds 9.5 million before 2050, the government and parliament “will take measures, in particular regarding asylum and family reunification, with a view to ensuring compliance”.

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If these measures are not enough, Switzerland would ultimately have to terminate the agreement on the free movement of people with the EU.

Switzerland is not in the European Union but has been part of the EU’s Schengen open-borders area since 2008.

The move comes in the midst of negotiations for a rapprochement between Switzerland and the EU.

The SVP said the initiative was “the answer to immigration-related problems in Switzerland”, citing housing shortages, rising rents, traffic jams, overcrowded public transport, falling school standards, violence and crime, electricity shortages, stagnant per capita income, higher health insurance premiums and “increasing pressure on our beautiful countryside”.

The SVP, which comfortably topped the Swiss general election in October, has come a long way from its roots as a farmers’ party in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

It became a national force focused on opposition to three things: mass immigration, closer ties with the EU, and the abandonment of Swiss neutrality.

Its new leader, 43-year-old hill farmer Marcel Dettling, is considered on the harder wing of the party on immigration.

“Today, too many foreigners are arriving, and not the right ones. We need controlled immigration that benefits our country and our population,” he said after the signatures were deposited.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2022, net migration accounted for a 68,800 rise in the population. Natural change – births minus deaths – accounted for a 7,900 increase.

FSO 2020 projections predicted the population would be 10.4 million in 2050, with a “low scenario” of 9.5 million and a “high scenario” of 11.4 million.

With inputs from AFP