Swiss voters have rejected an initiative that aimed to cut annual immigration by three-quarters.
The proposal, which aimed to reduce the strain on Switzerland’s natural environment, failed to secure a winning vote, with 74 per cent of voters rejecting it, according to data from Swiss broadcaster SRF.
The Ecopop referendum proposed capping the number of immigrants at just 0.2 per cent of the resident population, or the equivalent of 16,000 people per year.
Voters also overwhelmingly rejected the “Save our Swiss gold” initiative, which supported proposals that would have forced the central bank to buy huge amounts of gold.
The proposals, backed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party out of concern the central bank has sold too much of its gold in the past, were rejected by 78 percent of voters, according to SRF data.
The measure would have compelled the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to boost its gold reserves to 20 per cent.
A third set of proposals to scrap one of Switzerland’s biggest tax perks for expatriates was also defeated.
Reuters