Referendum: Swiss people reject Schwexit

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Flags of Switzerland and the EU in the National Council Chamber in Bern

Photo: Michael Stahl / dpa

Citizens from the European Union (EU) can continue to move to Switzerland without major problems.

In a referendum, according to a TV report, the Swiss rejected a proposal by the right-wing populist party SVP.

He planned to restrict the free movement of people with the EU.

It would have been a Schwexit scenario, a word that is based on Brexit, which describes the British exit from the EU.

According to an extrapolation from Swiss television, only 38 percent were in favor of the "For moderate immigration" initiative.

The margin of error was therefore two percent.

From a statistical point of view, this means that there is no assumption after all votes have been counted.

Broad front of rejection

The SVP had argued that too many people in the country reduced everyone's prosperity.

She called for the exit from an agreement concluded with Brussels in 1999, according to which EU citizens can also live and work freely in Switzerland.

An end to the agreement would also have ended the freedom of movement of the Swiss within the EU.

In addition, it would have jeopardized the direct access of the Swiss economy to the European internal market.

A so-called guillotine clause would have come into force, with which a whole bundle of agreements between Brussels and Bern would have been suspended.

There was a broad front of opposition to the SVP initiative, including the government, trade unions and employers.

More than a quarter of the 8.6 million inhabitants of Switzerland are foreigners.

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sms / dpa / AFP / Reuters