Swiss government rejects initiative to cap population

On Friday, the government outlined its arguments against a proposal by the Swiss People’s Party to limit the population to 10 million. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The limit would damage prosperity, economic growth and security in Switzerland, the Federal Council said in a statement on Friday and recommended that lawmakers and voters should turn down the idea. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party – which in last elections reached almost a third of seats in the lower house with an anti-immigration stance – wants to cap the population to a maximum of 10 million. Its initiative says that “uncontrolled immigration” is overwhelming the country’s infrastructure and pushing up rents. The group collected more than 114,000 signatures for a limit, passing the bar for a plebiscite under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy. Switzerland’s population reached 9.03 million people as of September 2024. Most immigrants come to work for high Swiss wages, as local ...