It’s a rare state of affairs: ahead of the national vote on the “No to ten million” immigration initiative, the yes and no camps are exactly neck and neck. In the first poll published by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), 47% of respondents backed the initiative and 47% opposed it. The campaign around the initiative from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, which aims to limit Switzerland’s permanent resident population to ten million, promises to be fierce.
The vote is also likely to attract international attention, not only because the result is expected to be close, but also because such a population cap would be unprecedented. As we have written, the only place with laws allowing a population cap is currently the Galapagos Islands – for environmental reasons.
The second issue facing voters on the June 14 ballot, an amendment to the law on civilian service, is so far attracting less attention. But the topic is important: citizens will decide on a proposal, backed by the government and parliament, to tighten access to civilian service.
According to the SBC poll, 52% back the tighter rules, while 40% are opposed. When a proposal comes from authorities, support for the yes camp tends to climb as the campaign progresses. However, the situation remains uncertain: we will have to wait until June 3 and the publication of a second poll to know more.
To help you fill out your ballot paper, you can find our Let’s Talk debate, our background explainer articles, and the detailed results of the latest poll below.
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As a correspondent at the Federal Palace for SWI swissinfo.ch, I report on federal politics for the Swiss Abroad.
After studying at the Academy of Journalism and Media at the University of Neuchâtel, my career path initially took me to various regional media, working in the editorial offices of Journal du Jura, Canal 3 and Radio Jura bernois. Since 2015, I have been working in the multilingual editorial department of SWI swissinfo.ch, where I continue to practise my profession with passion.
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