Swiss voters reject population cap plan

ZURICH — Switzerland rejected a referendum proposal on Sunday to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritized economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.

A preliminary projection published by national broadcaster SRF indicated about 45 percent of voters were in favor of the proposal and 55 percent against.

The referendum, which was likened to Britain's 2016 Brexit vote, had put businesses on edge over concerns that it could lead to the end of free movement of labor between Switzerland and the EU, its main trading partner.

The proposal championed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party stipulated that the population must not exceed 10 million before 2050, and that if it did so for two years, Switzerland should scrap its freedom of movement accord with the EU.

Urs Bieri from polling firm gfs.bern said the vote failed because although many people were worried about the rising population, they were not convinced by the plan and worried about the possible side effects.

"From the very beginning, it has been presented as the chaos initiative. Voters were worried about negative consequences for Switzerland's relationship with the EU and for the labor market," Bieri said.

"People are also worried about things like having enough care and health workers. Also there's a feeling that in the current international environment it's not sensible for a small country to do this," he added.

The Swiss population already stands at 9.1 million and has grown far more quickly than in the surrounding EU. Foreigners make up nearly 28 percent of the Swiss population. According to official projections, the population will reach 10 million by the early 2040s.

Polls had forecast a close outcome, and the result tallied with a final survey by gfs.bern, which had predicted the proposal would be narrowly rejected.

Still, the substantial backing for the measure sits alongside growing support for policies aimed at curbing immigration across Europe.

Opponents dubbed the plan a recipe for chaos due to the upheaval it would cause for Swiss companies, workers and Bern's ties with the EU.

Patrick Leisibach, a migration expert at think tank Avenir Suisse, said economic arguments had played a role, with people wary of how a "yes" vote would affect their daily lives.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA