5 minutes agoSwitzerland to vote for extreme right proposal to limit population to 10 million
Periskopi(5 months ago)
(5 months ago)Switzerland will vote this summer on a proposal by the Swiss People's Party (SVP) of the far right to limit the country's population to 10 million -- a move that would threaten key agreements with the EU and, according to opponents, would damage its economy. The government said Wednesday that the referendum on [...] initiative
The government said on Wednesday that the referendum on SVP's initiative “not a 10 million-euro Swiss”, which is strongly opposed by both chambers of parliament and the business community and financial services, will be held on 10 June, Telegrafi broadcast.
The initiative would force the Swiss government and parliament to act if the country's permanent population of 9.1 million exceeds 9.5 million, denying the entry of newcomers, including asylum seekers and families of foreign residents.
If the population reaches 10 million, further restrictions will come into force, and if the numbers do not start to fall, the government will be forced to withdraw from the free movement agreement it has with the EU, its largest export market.
Switzerland's population has grown about five times faster than the average in EU member states around the past decade, as its economic success has attracted both low-qualification workers and high-paid corporate immigrants.
About 27% of Swiss residents are not citizens, according to government figures. SVP, the country's largest political party, says that “the population's use of” is increasing rents and straining public infrastructure and services to the breaking point.
The party, which has finished first in every election since 1999, has long campaigned against immigration, highlighting crimes committed by foreigners and posting images of bloody knives, hooded criminals, fists and frightened women.
The radical nationalist changes it often proposes, such as a 2016 proposal to automatically deport convicted immigrants even for minor criminal acts, and a 2020 plan to end free movement with the EU, have generally not had much good results.
Switzerland's direct democracy system allows citizens to propose so-called popular initiatives subject to a plebiscite if they receive 100,000 supporters in 18 months. They are a long preferential SVP tool, but only about 10% of popular initiatives pass.
However, a December poll revealed widespread support from 48% of voters for the “initiative, not a 10-million-dollar Swiss”, reflecting deeply divided feelings about how open the country wants and should be in a rapidly changing world. /Periscope
