Swiss Vote Against (Anti-Immigrant) Population Cap
This week, the Swiss voted down a proposal to limit the country's population to 10 million by 2050. Switzerland currently has a population of 9.1 million. The proposal to limit population growth came from Schweizerische Volkspartei (SVP or "The Swiss People's Party"), a right-wing populist political party that has the largest representation on the Swiss National Council, the federal entity representing the people (as opposed to the states) of Switzerland. The plan was to place "restrictions on family reunification, residency permits and asylum" if needed.
The Guardian puts the proposal in context:
Switzerland’s population has grown far faster than that of surrounding EU states, rising by 23% since the free movement agreement came into effect in 2002. Economic output has risen by about 24% over the same period, government figures show. About 27% of Swiss residents are not citizens, according to official data.
