A proposal to ban weapons exports and other war materiel has been overwhelmingly rejected in a nationwide ballot on Sunday.
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Official results show 68.2 per cent of voters against the initiative and 31.5 per cent for. Turnout was above average, at 53 per cent.
The proposal was launched by a broad coalition of peace groups and centre-left political parties.
However, the government and a majority in parliament recommended a no vote, saying approval would cost thousands of jobs and jeopardize the country’s defence capacity.
It is the third time since 1972 that a similar proposal has been rejected by voters.
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Doubts persist over weapons exports
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The government in its official information brochure for voters describes its policy of trading war material as restrictive, transparent, tough and not open to frequent abuses. Throughout its campaign the pacifist group for a Switzerland without an Army has tried to undermine the clean Swiss image. It has published a report by Human Rights Watch…
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Swiss industry has mobilised a campaign against the ban, arguing that it would cost jobs while the “yes” camp says lives come before profits. The government has recommended that voters reject a ban. On November 29, Switzerland will vote on the controversial and emotional subject for the third time since 1972. Two previous attempts to…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.