In the referendum in Switzerland, 70.15% of participants voted against the initiative, which proposed enshrining a stricter interpretation of neutrality in the Constitution and limiting the country's ability to impose sanctions against states involved in wars. It was not supported by a single canton.
The initiative “For the Preservation of Swiss Neutrality” proposed enshrining the principle of “perpetual and armed neutrality” in the Constitution.
It would also have prohibited Switzerland from joining military and defense alliances, cooperating with them, except in cases of an attack on the country or an immediate threat of such an attack, and from participating in wars between third countries.
A separate provision of the initiative would have banned the introduction of economic or diplomatic sanctions against a belligerent state if they were not adopted by the UN. The issue of sanctions became one of the central themes of the campaign after Switzerland, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, joined most of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia.
The initiative was promoted by the organization Pro Suisse with the support of the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP), while the Federal Council and parliament opposed it. All major parties except the SVP also recommended voting against it, notes The Insider.
At the same time, the Swiss also rejected the second initiative put to a referendum — on food security. It proposed increasing the share of products produced domestically and encouraging the consumption of plant-based foods.
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