Switzerland faces a double choice on immigration and defense

Swiss voters are called to the polls on Sunday to decide on two sensitive issues concerning demographics and national defense. The first is a popular initiative aimed at limiting the country's population growth, while the second involves stricter requirements for entry into the civil service. Results are expected in the afternoon, although the majority of citizens have already cast their ballots by mail.

The vote on immigration is attracting a great deal of political attention. Supported by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the country's main party, the proposal aims to prevent the permanent resident population from exceeding 10 million by 2050. Proponents of the initiative argue that the increase in population exacerbates tensions in housing, infrastructure, transportation, the healthcare system, and education.

Two consultations with national implications

The proposal, however, has sparked strong opposition from the government, most political parties, employers' organizations, and trade unions. Its critics fear, in particular, that it could jeopardize the free movement agreements with the European Union, Switzerland's major economic partner. Indeed, if the established threshold is exceeded, the text stipulates the termination of several agreements concluded with Brussels, a prospect that some political leaders liken to a risk of isolation comparable to the consequences of Brexit.

Citizens must also decide on a reform of civil service. The government wants to restrict access to it in order to preserve the size of the militia army, in a context marked by renewed security concerns in Europe. The left, which called the referendum, believes, on the contrary, that this change would weaken an alternative created for conscientious objectors. Opinion polls conducted before the vote show a particularly close race on both issues.