On June 14, Switzerland held a referendum on limiting the country's population to 10 million people. According to the voting results, about 55% of participants opposed the proposal, while 45% supported it, BBC News reported. Voter turnout was 60%.

The initiative was put forward by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), which has long advocated anti-immigration policies. The vote could have jeopardized the free movement agreement between Switzerland and the European Union.

Currently, Switzerland has a population of approximately 9.1 million, 27% of whom are foreigners. The population has grown significantly since 2002, when it stood at 7.3 million. This growth is attributed to the attraction of both low-skilled workers and highly paid employees of large corporations during a period of economic expansion.

According to the SVP, population growth has led to infrastructure overload, rising rents, and loss of local identity. The party proposed forcing the government to tighten immigration laws if the population reaches 9.5 million by 2050. If the population hits 10 million, the government would have to withdraw from the free movement agreement with the EU, Switzerland's largest export market.

All other major parties, government members, and business leaders opposed the initiative. They argued that restricting immigration would harm the Swiss economy, make it harder to attract foreign workers to fill labor shortages, and negatively impact relations with the European Union.

Source: www.gazeta.uz