The leader of Switzerland’s far-right party leading the drive said there were too many foreigners, “and not the right ones,” in the wealthy Alpine nation.
Switzerland is set to hold a vote on measures designed to limit immigration and stop the population hitting 10 million before 2050, after enough signatures were turned in Wednesday.
Under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, citizens can trigger popular votes by collecting 100,000 valid signatures within 18 months.
The hard right Swiss People’s Party, or SVP, submitted 114,600 signatures to the Federal Chancellery in Bern on Wednesday — collected in half that time.
“Mass immigration continues its frantic course … with devastating consequences for our small country,” said the SVP, which is the biggest party in the wealthy Alpine nation.
Adopting the initiative “is urgent to protect our unique landscape, our high quality of life, our above-average prosperity and for a secure, free future for us and our children,” the party wrote.
Once petition signatures are verified, it generally takes months, or even years, before a vote takes place.
The permanent population at the end of 2022 was 8.82 million, up from 8.54 million at the end of 2018.
Foreigners make up a quarter of the population.