Swiss voters reject stricter constitutional neutrality rules

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to impose tighter constitutional limits on the country’s neutrality in a referendum on Sunday. Final results from the Federal Statistical Office showed about 70% voted against the initiative. Earlier projections from state broadcaster SRF put opposition at 71%.

The proposal would have defined Swiss neutrality as “perpetual and armed,” barred the country from joining or cooperating with military alliances unless it faced an attack or an imminent threat, and generally permitted sanctions against countries at war only with approval from the United Nations Security Council.

Its rejection preserves the Swiss government’s ability to adopt sanctions and cooperate with NATO while remaining outside military alliances. Switzerland largely joined European Union sanctions against Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, freezing billions of dollars in Russian assets and drawing criticism from Russia and Swiss advocates of stricter neutrality.

The initiative was organized by Pro Switzerland, a national sovereignty group linked to the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, which also supported the measure. Backers argued that sanctions against Russia and closer security cooperation with NATO had weakened Switzerland’s neutral status.

The Swiss government, parliament and nearly all major political parties opposed the initiative, arguing that neutrality required flexibility and that the proposed rules would restrict the country’s response to international crises. The Swiss People’s Party accepted the result and said it currently had no plans for further action.