Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
In the wake of the public’s rejection of an initiative to cap Switzerland’s population at ten million, the Swiss media are analysing the result, highlighting in particular an apparent paradox.
And while the G7 summit gets underway in Evian, in neighbouring France, Geneva is set to return as a key player in international geopolitics.
It was the urban regions that opposed the right-wing Swiss People’s Party’s “No to ten million” immigration initiative with the greatest conviction. In other words, it was precisely those areas most affected by the problems – such as population pressure and crime – that the yes camp highlighted during the campaign, attributing them to immigration.
It is a “paradoxical” finding, at least at first glance, write the Tamedia group’s newspapers: the initiative was most successful precisely where Switzerland still has more space and is safer.
This is not surprising, according to political scientist Simon Stückelberger. An important factor is the image people have of Switzerland and the direction in which they would like it to develop. An urbanised and densely populated country contradicts the image that many people living in the countryside have of the Alpine nation. For many voters, the initiative therefore did not represent “a tool for solving concrete space issues on their own doorsteps, but rather an outlet for general concern in the face of a rapidly changing Switzerland”.
Other newspapers, such as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), emphasise in their editorials that, although the People’s Party’s proposal was rejected by 54.8% of the electorate, the result should not be interpreted as support for the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU, an agreement that the initiative said should be terminated, as a last resort, if the population approached the ten million mark.
“Sunday’s vote has shown that a significant section of the population already views migration from the EU in its current form critically.” A factor that the government and parliament must not underestimate ahead of the vote on Bilateral Agreements III, which will reshape relations between Bern and Brussels.
The Swiss diaspora also voted against the “No to ten million” initiative and in favour of tightening the conditions for access to civilian service. While the percentages on the latter issue mirrored those of the electorate at home, the no vote on the immigration initiative was significantly more decisive.
More than 70% of Swiss citizens abroad who voted opposed the proposal to cap the Swiss population at ten million, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office. This compares with 54.8% for the total electorate.
Although the no vote from the Swiss diaspora was more decisive than the polls had predicted, it comes as no surprise to gfs.bern political scientist Martina Mousson. This section of the electorate is generally more left-leaning and benefits more directly from good relations between Bern and Brussels, she says. It is worth noting that the vast majority of the Swiss diaspora lives in a neighbouring country to Switzerland.
However, this tendency to vote more to the left did not materialise on the other issue: the amendment to the law making access to civilian service more complicated (51.9% yes for the Swiss Abroad, 52.5% for the electorate as a whole). Mousson speculates that geopolitical tensions are felt even more keenly by those living in other European countries, who therefore believe that now is not the time to weaken the army.
Washington and Tehran have announced that they have reached an agreement to end the war in the Middle East on all fronts. US President Donald Trump has announced that the agreement will be signed on Friday in Geneva. After that, the Strait of Hormuz will be re-opened.
The agreement with the United States provides for “the immediate and definitive end to the war and military operations on various fronts, including Lebanon”, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television, confirming what had been announced shortly before by the Pakistani mediators.
US Vice-President JD Vance is expected to attend the ceremony in Geneva, and he has described Trump’s attendance as “possible”. The contents of the agreement are not yet clear. A major question mark remains, for example, over the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme, on which the two countries have so far shown no willingness to compromise, Le Temps points out.
However, the Geneva newspaper adds that this time there really does seem to be “something concrete”, unlike the more than 40 occasions over the past three months when the US president had promised that an agreement had been reached, only to be quickly contradicted. In five days, however, a lot can still happen, points out geopolitical analyst Nicola Pedde on Swiss public broadcaster RSI, who questions the Israeli government’s willingness to suspend attacks in Lebanon.
The G7 summit in Evian, France, is getting underway as protests against the summit take place in Geneva. Many of the leaders heading to the summit landed at the Swiss city’s airport today, welcomed by Economics Minister Guy Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year.
Parmelin was able to spend a few minutes chatting with the various heads of state, starting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who was invited to the G7 by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. US President Donald Trump’s Air Force One landed at around 4pm.
The whole of the Geneva area will be under tight security until the end of the summit on Wednesday, with police officers from all 26 cantons and 4,000 soldiers. Security costs for Switzerland are estimated at CHF20 million ($25 million). “As a token of gratitude,” writes Swiss public broadcaster SRF, “Macron has invited Parmelin to Tuesday’s gala dinner.” For Parmelin, this may be an opportunity to discuss trade disputes with Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
A large anti-G7 protest took place yesterday, alongside the women’s strike held on June 14 every year. It began in a festive atmosphere, wrote Swiss public broadcaster RTS, but it quickly descended into clashes between police and violent groups, including 600 members of the “black bloc”. A few minutes after the march began, a car was set alight.
“The damage was relatively minor compared to the number of black bloc members,” the Geneva police spokesperson said this morning. In total, nine women and 19 men were detained and three provisional arrests were made.
Translated using AI/ts
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
