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(Bloomberg) — Switzerland is set for a nail-biter vote on a proposal to cap the population at 10 million, after a two-pronged push by campaigners that paired a polished appeal to sustainability-minded moderates with harsher anti-immigrant messaging.
Ahead of the ballot on Sunday, the Swiss People’s Party, or SVP, has cast the initiative as a solution to housing affordability and a defense of the environment, arguing that immigration is forcing the country to pave over its renowned Alpine scenery.
At the same time, groups further to the right have tapped into baser fears about foreigners. An online game released by the Egerkinger Komitee — which says it resists “claims to power of political Islam in Switzerland” — allows players to control a border guard and repel dark-skinned immigrants pictured begging or holding weapons.
The population cap is an unprecedented proposal, one never before tried by a modern economy, and critics say it threatens investment, growth and the country’s reputation for openness.
