From Schwarzenbach to the present day Switzerland has been arguing about immigration for 50 years - why?
Switzerland is once again voting on migration - but the debate is anything but new. For over 50 years, politicians and the population have been preoccupied with limiting immigration.
13.05.2026, 16:26
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On June 14, Switzerland will vote on the SVP initiative "No 10 million Swiss!", an issue with decades of political history.
- Votes on limiting immigration have been held since the 1970s.
- Earlier initiatives such as the "Schwarzenbach Initiative" or the "Mass Immigration Initiative" mobilized strong support, but were sometimes rejected or only implemented in a weakened form.
- More recently, the argument has shifted from "foreign infiltration" to issues such as the environment, infrastructure and quality of life.
- Experts expect that the topic of migration will continue to shape Swiss politics on a regular basis.
On June 14, Switzerland will vote on the SVP initiative "No 10 million Swiss!". Limiting the foreign population is an issue that has preoccupied politicians for more than half a century.
In the post-war period, Switzerland attracted many thousands of workers from Europe, particularly from Spain and Italy. Between 1950 and 1970, the proportion of foreign residents rose from 6 to 17 percent and reached the million mark in the 1970s. "A feeling of anxiety spread in certain parts of Swiss society," says Olivier Meuwly, historian and FDP member, in an interview with Keystone-SDA.
It was in this context that the National Action (now the Swiss Democrats) was founded, which, among other things, launched the "Überfremdungsinitiative" (Immigration Initiative) supported by right-wing foreign politician James Schwarzenbach.
The initiative, which called for the number of foreigners to be limited to 10 percent of the population, was rejected in 1970 with 54 percent of votes against. However, the turnout was historically high: almost 75 percent, a record since the introduction of the AHV in 1947.
When asked about this mobilization, historian and political scientist Claude Longchamp notes that initiatives that "break a taboo always have a high turnout". Even though the "Schwarzenbach Initiative" was not adopted, the issue has not disappeared from Swiss politics.
The shock is over
Two further proposals followed in 1974 and 1977 and received only 34% and 29% yes votes respectively. According to Longchamp, it remained an issue that moved people, but no longer broke any taboos.
In addition, the economic and oil crises of 1973 led to a decline in immigration and a return to the countries of origin. "An awareness has also developed: The Swiss economy and society would not function without these foreign workers," says Meuwly.
Rise of the SVP
At the end of the 20th century, the SVP took up the issue of restrictive immigration policy. In 1992, the year of the vote on the European Economic Area (EEA), the party launched its first popular initiative "against illegal immigration", which was rejected four years later.
The signing of the bilateral agreements with the EU in 1999, which included the free movement of persons, marked a turning point for the party. From then on, the SVP will fight any attempt to move closer to Brussels. In 2010, the initiative "for the deportation of criminal foreigners" was adopted - an important victory for the party.
Vote in 2014
Four years later, the initiative "against mass immigration" was narrowly adopted with 50.3 percent of votes in favor. Claude Longchamp sees this vote as an "extraordinary mobilization of the working class, which normally does not participate".
However, the implementing law passed by parliament sets "no real limits" to immigration. It obliges employers to register certain jobs with the employment offices before recruiting workers abroad - without any real conditions. "The federal government has reacted symbolically, not substantively," says Longchamp.
Strengthened by this dynamic, the SVP and the Action for an Independent Neutral Switzerland (AUNS) submitted the initiative "for moderate migration" (Limitation Initiative) in 2020, which was intended to enable Switzerland to restrict immigration independently. It was rejected by 61 percent. "The text was too intellectual, the population was not interested in international law," says Longchamp.
Thematic change
In the meantime, according to Olivier Meuwly, there has been a thematic shift in the SVP's proposals. Back in 2014, the initiative "Stop overpopulation, yes to the sustainable conservation of natural resources" introduced a new argument. "For the first time, the link between ecology and overpopulation was established," says Meuwly.
The historian sees this as a shift from pure "overpopulation" to mentioning the negative consequences for traffic, nature and the environment. Issues that are reflected in the June 14 initiative.
"Almost unavoidable"
The data shows that the Swiss people deal with the issue of limiting immigration every five to ten years. For Meuwly, the increase in reckless behavior, pressure on infrastructure and environmental concerns made "an umpteenth vote on this issue almost inevitable".
In his opinion, however, two factors could slow down the momentum: a severe economic crisis like the one in 1970, which would lead to emigration, or a complete break in relations with Europe, "which could be triggered by this vote or by a rejection of the Bilaterals III".
For Claude Longchamp, as long as the SVP wins elections, it will not abandon its core issues of migration, asylum and the European Union.
