Bern, June 14 (QNA) – Swiss projections indicated that voters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million, prioritizing economic stability and relations with the European Union over concerns that immigration would strain public services and increase housing costs. 

Projections published by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRF) indicated that approximately 45 percent of voters supported the initiative, while 55 percent voted against it. 

The constitutional amendment, proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, stipulated that Switzerland’s population should not exceed 10 million before 2050.

Under the proposal, if the population crossed this threshold, authorities would have been required to terminate the agreement with the European Union on the free movement of people within two years. 

More than a quarter of Switzerland’s population was born abroad. The country’s current population stands at 9.1 million, with foreign nationals comprising roughly 28 percent of the total, a figure that official estimates project will reach 10 million by the early 2040s. (QNA)