Switzerland Today – vote edition
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The polls have closed and the results are in for Switzerland's two federal votes. Unlike Switzerland's World Cup opener against Qatar yesterday evening, today's results did not end in a draw.
Sunday's results suggest Swiss voters remain cautious. Concerns about immigration, civilian service and low wages remain politically potent, but voters ultimately rejected a proposal that could have reshaped Switzerland's relationship with the European Union and approved a reform aimed at strengthening army numbers.
We also take a look at several cantonal votes that attracted attention within the country.
While this special edition focuses on the vote results, it was also a busy day elsewhere in Switzerland. Thousands took part in feminist strike rallies across the country, while Geneva saw anti-G7 protests ahead of the summit in neighbouring France.
Sunny regards from Switzerland's political capital
Swiss voters have rejected the ‘No to 10 million’ immigration initiative by 55% to 45%.
The Swiss People’s Party initiative dominated the campaign and attracted international attention, with coverage from outlets including CNNExternal link and the BBCExternal link. Because of its potential implications for Swiss-EU relations, some commentators had dubbed it “Swexit”.
During the campaign, the right-wing People’s Party presented the proposal as a sustainability initiative aimed at limiting population growth. Opponents, meanwhile, warned it would bring “chaos” and create uncertainty, potentially jeopardising Switzerland’s bilateral agreements with the EU.
Analysts cited a range of reasons for the final result. While concerns about population growth remain widespread, many voters were unconvinced by the proposal itself.
“The population is concerned about growth, but people were not convinced by the solution proposed,” Urs Bieri of polling institute gfs.bern told Swiss public broadcaster SRF. He added that voters were also concerned about labour shortages, particularly in sectors such as healthcare and elderly care. In the most recent poll by the gfs.bern research institute two weeks ahead of the ballot 52% of voters rejected the initiative.
“There is also a feeling that, in the current international environment, it is not sensible for a small country to take such a step,” Bieri said.
Social Democratic Party co-president Cédric Wermuth argued that uncertainty abroad also influenced the result. “In the days of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [US President Donald] Trump, it was unthinkable that anyone would want to shake up the bilateral approach,” he told SRF.
Monika Rühl, president of the Swiss business federation economiesuisse, described Sunday’s result as an important signal for Switzerland’s relationship with the EU and for businesses that rely on workers from neighbouring countries.
Although the initiative was rejected, both supporters and opponents acknowledge that concerns about population growth remain politically salient. Immigration is likely to remain a central political issue, particularly as Switzerland’s population continues to grow.
“The countryside clearly voted yes, but the cities tipped the balance,” People’s Party President Marcel Dettling told SRF.
The initiative was the latest in a series of proposals aimed at limiting immigration. Similar debates have surfaced repeatedly over the past six decades, beginning with initiatives targeting Italian workers during Switzerland’s post-war economic boom.
Civilian service reform accepted by voters at home and abroad
Swiss voters on Sunday backed tighter rules on civilian service, with 53% approving a legal reform that makes it harder to opt out of military service.
The Swiss at home and abroad voted similarly: in the cantons that publish Swiss Abroad voting data, 53.3% supported the reform.
Support was particularly strong in Central Switzerland, with around 63% voting in favour in cantons Schwyz, Nidwalden and Obwalden. A look at the cantonal results shows that the proposal was rejected only in French-speaking Switzerland. In German-speaking Switzerland, Basel City was the sole canton to oppose the tightening of the law.
While largely overshadowed by the immigration initiative, the vote proved more competitive than expected. Earlier this month, gfs.bern polls showed supporters losing a substantial lead and ending up neck-and-neck with opponents. Analysts described this as unusual, given that proposals backed by the government typically gain support during a campaign.
Mixed verdict on minimum wage in canton Vaud
Voters in canton Vaud supported anchoring a minimum wage in the cantonal constitution but rejected both the initiative’s implementing legislation and the government’s counter-proposal.
Both proposals would have introduced a minimum wage of CHF23 ($29) per hour. The government’s version, however, would have given collective labour agreements precedence in certain cases.
Speaking to the Keystone-ATS news agency, Arnaud Bouverat, co-chair of the initiative committee and a Social Democratic Party politician, described the outcome as “a first symbolic victory”, even if it does not yet bring “anything concrete” for workers.
In canton Vaud, around 10% of workers are considered low-earners, reports 24 heures. The working poor are overwhelmingly women, often employed part-time in small businesses and lacking formal qualifications.
As both the implementing legislation and the counter-proposal were rejected, the future shape of a Vaud minimum wage remains unclear.
Geneva bans religious symbols in parliament
Geneva voters narrowly approved a ban on visible religious symbols for elected officials. The measure passed with 51.4% of the vote.
The constitutional amendment states that members of the cantonal parliament and municipal councils may not display religious symbols during plenary sessions or official appearances. Supporters argued the measure would safeguard institutional neutrality and public confidence in political decision-making.
Critics, particularly on the left, described it as a new attack on Muslim communities. Although the ban applies to all religious symbols, including headscarves, kippahs and crosses, feminist and anti-racism groups argued that Muslim women would be disproportionately affected.
A similar regulation introduced in 2019 was later struck down by the courts. Parliament subsequently revived the measure, triggering Sunday’s referendum.
Opponents also pointed out that no concrete problems linked to religious symbols had been identified within the cantonal parliament.
St Gallen voters back smoking ban on playgrounds
Voters in St Gallen overwhelmingly approved a ban on smoking in public playgrounds, with 71.3% voting in favour.
The measure will allow authorities to enforce a smoking ban at the city’s 128 public playgrounds. Previously, there was only a recommendation not to smoke.
Switzerland is among worst in Europe for tackling smoking, ranking second from last out of 37 countries assessed in a study published earlier this year, according to the Swiss Association for Tobacco Prevention.
Basel City: votes in favour of population limitations, but not for humans
Voters rejected an initiative that would have banned the killing of pigeons as a population-control measure but approved a parliamentary counter-proposal by around 68%.
While the initiative sought to prohibit culling, the counter-proposal contains no such ban. Instead, it foresees a four-year pilot project involving expert support, public awareness campaigns and targeted measures at pigeon hotspots.
Edited by Simon Bradley
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
