Swiss voters set to reject tighter neutrality rules in referendum

Swiss voters appear to have decisively rejected a citizen initiative that would have tightened constitutional limits on the country’s neutrality, according to a projection published by polling institute GFS Bern for broadcaster SRG. The projection showed about 71% of participants voting against the measure and roughly 29% in favour.

The initiative, organised by the group Pro Switzerland and supported by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), aimed to define Swiss neutrality as "perpetual and armed." Under the proposed wording, Switzerland would have been barred from joining or cooperating with military and defence alliances except if the country were under attack or an attack was imminent. It also would have limited Switzerland’s ability to impose sanctions to cases where the United Nations Security Council had authorized them.

Opponents, including the federal government, parliament and nearly all major political parties, argued the change would reduce Switzerland’s capacity to respond to international crises. The existing policy framework allows Switzerland to remain outside military alliances while still cooperating with other states on security matters and participating in sanctions regimes.

The debate intensified after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Switzerland largely aligned with EU sanctions against Moscow. That move drew criticism from Russia and from domestic voices advocating stricter neutrality, who said it amounted to taking sides. With Sunday's vote, Swiss voters left intact the government's current discretion to decide how neutrality is applied in a changing European security environment.