Voters in Switzerland have cast their final ballots on Sunday on an initiative championed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) to cap the rich Alpine country’s population at 10 million.
According to early results by the federal government, nearly 53% of voters rejected the proposal, with nationwide turnout exceeding 57%. Results were still pending from many of Switzerland’s 26 cantons.
Recent polling from the gfs.bern agency had suggested the poll could be a close contest.
A “yes” vote would have required the Swiss government to take action to cap the population by 2050, including limiting immigration.
The SVP, which has the most seats in parliament, has stirred up and fostered anti-migration sentiment over the years, notably about an influx of workers from the neighbouring European Union.
