Swiss Referendum on 10 Million Population Cap Draws Global Attention

(Central News Agency, Zurich, 14th - compiled international reports) Switzerland held a referendum today to decide whether to limit its permanent resident population to under 10 million. This vote has been compared to the Brexit referendum in the UK, and its outcome could have profound implications for the Swiss economy and its relationship with the European Union.

According to Reuters, the constitutional amendment proposal was put forward by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), driven by concerns over immigration, pressure on public services, and housing shortages. The proposal demands that the national population must not exceed 10 million by 2050. However, official projections indicate that Switzerland's population is expected to reach this threshold in the early 2040s.

This form of legally binding population restriction is unprecedented and aligns with the broader trend across Europe of right-wing parties pushing for stricter immigration controls—a movement fueled by public dissatisfaction over rising living costs, weak economic growth, and crime.

Helen Gulea, a 58-year-old tailor from Kenya who also works part-time at a newspaper kiosk in Zurich, said: 'If the population exceeds 10 million, it will become crowded, so immigration should be restricted.' She has already voted by mail in favor of the population cap proposal.

Preliminary results are expected to start being announced around noon local time (6:00 PM Taiwan time).

If the proposal passes, reaching 10 million residents would trigger a process that could force Switzerland to cancel its free movement agreement with the EU—member states of which are the primary source of Switzerland's labor force.

Switzerland's aging population has already surpassed 9 million, and opinion polls show public sentiment is evenly divided between support and opposition.

The latest poll released this month indicates that public opinion has shifted against the proposal, whereas earlier polls had suggested it might pass.

Patrick Leisibach, migration expert at the think tank 'Avenir Suisse,' said there is widespread societal concern that overpopulation is pushing public infrastructure to its limits.

'Right-wingers have traditionally had anti-immigration voters, but now even many on the left are feeling the pressure,' he said. (Compiled by: Chen Yu-Ting) 1150614