Swiss citizens have voted against stricter neutrality measures, among which were pledges to avoid military alliances unless attacked and imposing sanctions on “belligerent states” unless approved by the UN.
According to the country’s Federal Council, the ‘Safeguard Swiss Neutrality’ initiative was defeated on Sunday after 70 percent of voters (1,854,767) opposed the proposal, against the 30 percent in favour (789,130).
The referendum saw a 47 percent turnout.
Switzerland’s internationally-recognised neutrality has been enshrined in the federal constitution since 1848, but critics of the current policy argue that the country’s neutral status has been degraded by the decision to adopt EU sanctions against Russia in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
As such, the referendum was not about whether or not the country should be neutral, but about whether the current policy is sufficient for safeguarding Swiss neutrality.
The initiative was championed by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Switzerland’s largest right-wing political party, which expressed its “regret” at the population’s decision.
“Thanks to its neutrality, Switzerland has not waged war for 500 years and has remained untouched by war for 200 years. Neutrality has brought peace, security, prosperity, and credibility to our country and our people.
“By unconditionally adopting foreign sanctions, the Federal Council has, however, abandoned our neutrality. The consequences are visible: other countries no longer perceive us as neutral, important peace talks no longer take place in Switzerland, and Russia is on the path to expropriating Swiss companies like Nestlé,” the SVP said on Sunday.
The SVP added that it takes the government at its word when it says that Switzerland will remain neutral, warning that it “must not be drawn into foreign conflicts”.
The initiative had called for a stricter approach to neutrality and sought to enshrine in the constitution the provision that Swiss neutrality is “perpetual and armed”.
It also sought greater distance between Switzerland and military or defence alliances, with a bar on membership or cooperation of such alliances unless under military attack or aware of an imminent attack.
It would have prohibited participation in military conflicts between third countries and the imposition of sanctions on “belligerent states”, with exceptions for those approved by the UN as well as measures targeting the circumvention of sanctions.
The Swiss government, which opposed the initiative, said that it wished to “maintain neutrality in its current form”, which it described as having “stood the test of time for over 180 years”.
Prior to the vote, it described the initiative as calling for a “more restrictive concept of neutrality”.
Ignazio Cassis, the country’s Foreign Minister, responded to the result by saying that “the Swiss women and men have chosen a neutrality that has proven its worth”.
“Switzerland maintains its room for maneuver to protect its security, its independence, and its prosperity,” he added.
Cassis was president of Switzerland when the neutral country decided to adopt the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia in February 2022, a decision it attributed to “Russia’s unprecedented military attack on a sovereign European country”.
“In reaching its decisions, the Federal Council took Switzerland’s neutrality and peace policy considerations into account,” the federal council said on that occasion, adding that it “reaffirmed Switzerland’s willingness to actively contribute to a solution to the conflict through its good offices”.