Post date: Feb 07, 2014 3:49:42 PM
A Swiss referendum on Sunday will decide whether to impose restrictions on immigrants from the European Union.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (FEBRUARY 6, 2014) (REUTERS) - The Swiss are gearing up to vote in a referendum on Sunday (February 9) -- the poll will measure support for a system of quotas which would impose restrictions on immigrants from the European Union, a move decried by Swiss business leaders but with solid support in some quarters of a country where foreigners make up 23 percent of residents.
Net immigration of around 70,000 people per year on average -- equivalent to the size of St. Gallen, a university town in eastern Switzerland -- is blamed by many Swiss for rising rents, crowded transport and more crime.The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), which wants Switzerland to seize back control by reintroducing quotas, is tapping into concerns immigrants are eroding the country's Alpine culture and bolstering the 'yes' vote.
Posters featuring people crowding around a bright red Switzerland captioned '(We're) Full -- Vote No!' were dotted around Swiss towns ahead of the poll.
Pedestrians on the streets of Geneva on Thursday (February 6) echoed these fears, saying it was time to take control of the country's borders.
"I think we need to start to control the arrival of foreigners. Other countries do it -- the United States, Australia -- you can't just have a work permit like that. So I think we should do the same thing," Michel told Reuters Television.
But business leaders say a vote in favour of the motion, 12 years after a free movement of people agreement with the European Union came into force, could hurt an economy reliant on foreign professionals by increasing red tape and calling into question its bilateral accords with the bloc.
On the streets, many passers-by were also keen to stress the economic benefits of a steady stream of foreigners in specialised industries flowing into the country.
"Switzerland benefits from a supply of foreigners and there are not enough Swiss workers to take on the job. That's what we think," It's true that it's a difficult topic, particularly in the region around Geneva where there are serious traffic problems, and you realise the infrastructure isn't keeping up with the rise in population," Edmond said.
The campaign to limit immigration in Switzerland comes as other European economies are having second thoughts about free movement of people. With the economy in Europe in the doldrums and austerity policies biting, mainstream politicians across the region fear the right and far-right will gain ground as increasing numbers fret immigrants will take their jobs.
In Switzerland, the proposed curbs take aim at highly-skilled workers from theEuropean Union, who opponents argue are needed to fill jobs at multinationals and hospitals.
Polls close at midday local time on Sunday (1100GMT) with the results expected to trickle in during the afternoon.
Polling last week by Gfs Bern indicated that support for the proposal had risen to 43 percent from 37 percent in an earlier poll. The change goes against a tendency for support for referenda to drop away as polling day approaches.
But to pass, the proposals need the support not just of the majority of voters, but also in a majority of the country's 26 cantons.