In Switzerland, a referendum to cap the national population at 10 million people is expected to fail.
According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF on the 14th (local time), an estimate released after polls closed showed 45% in favor and 55% against, indicating the initiative is expected to be rejected.
The referendum proposes to limit Switzerland's population so it does not exceed 10 million by 2050. The right-leaning Swiss People's Party (SVP) pushed the measure, citing concerns over a rapid population increase leading to a shortage of dwellings and strain on infrastructure, as well as fears of damage to national identity.
If the initiative passes, the government would be required to implement measures to curb population growth. It also includes provisions to restrict refugee intake, family reunification immigration, and residence permits once the population reaches 9.5 million, and to consider scrapping the free movement agreement with the European Union (EU).
However, the Swiss government and business community have opposed the measure, saying immigration limits could hurt economic growth. They argue that many workers in health care, finance, pharmaceuticals, and technology are immigrants, raising concerns about labor shortages and economic contraction.
In particular, opponents argued that if the initiative passes, relations with the EU, Switzerland's largest trading partner, would worsen, and access to the European single market could be disrupted.
Switzerland's population stood at about 9.1 million at the end of last year, up 23% since it eased mutual movement restrictions with the EU in 2002. About 28% of the total population is foreign nationals, and 32% are foreign-born.
Switzerland operates a system of direct democracy, deciding major policies by referendum. Immigration has also been put to a vote many times over the past decades, but the only measure that actually passed was the 2014 initiative against "mass immigration."