The forecasts spoke of a very close election, and after a preliminary result in which 54.5 percent said no to the proposal, a clearly relieved Beat Jans was able to thank the Swiss people.
Citizens have voted for continued stability; they have clearly shown that they want to continue participating in a European conversation.
He had said before the election that "a lot is at stake", and now notes that:
The result is important for jobs, prosperity and international cooperation.
Population ceiling
The proposal was launched by the largest party in parliament, the right-wing populist and anti-immigration Swiss People's Party (SVP), which pushed through the referendum in a country known for its direct democracy.
The proposal would limit the ability to apply for asylum and residence permits when the population reaches 9.5 million. Family reunification would also be made more difficult. There are already 9.1 million inhabitants in Switzerland, which in practice would mean that a population ceiling would have to be introduced quite soon.
The initiative was met with strong opposition from other government parties and the business community. But despite their proposal being voted down, the SVP is celebrating its "success" and claiming that the result is a vote of no confidence in the government, according to Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
Figures from the Swiss electoral authority show large gaps between cities and rural areas, and Beat Jans acknowledges that much work remains.
There is no denying that our country faces challenges. We must meet them with effective solutions and not with promises like this initiative, which would have had no effect.
Relief in the EU
Just over a quarter of Switzerland's population are foreign nationals. With the population at risk of hitting the ten million mark, Switzerland would also be forced to terminate a number of international agreements linked to free movement, including with the EU.
There were also relieved reactions from the European Union.
"The Swiss people have spoken," wrote EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X, and continued:
"We will continue to work together to modernize and deepen our cooperation."
