Swiss voters reject tighter neutrality rules on NATO cooperation
Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional proposal to adopt stricter neutrality rules that would have barred economic sanctions and NATO cooperation. More than two-thirds voted against the initiative backed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party.
Why it matters
Preserves Switzerland's foreign policy flexibility, allowing continued alignment with international sanctions and security training with NATO.
Swiss voters on Sunday firmly rejected a proposal to adopt a more restrictive form of neutrality that would have blocked their country from imposing economic sanctions or cooperating with NATO.
More than two-thirds voted against a proposal to write a strictly defined version of neutrality into the Swiss constitution, according to the latest referendum projections by state broadcaster SRF.
Having failed to win the required support of the majority of Switzerland's cantonal constituencies, the initiative has effectively been rejected.
While Swiss neutrality has been internationally recognized since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the government has not spelled out how it implements it.
The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) has said that Switzerland's traditional position has been eroded after Bern imposed sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
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