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The people and the cantons have given a strong message for the continuation of the bilateral path with the EU. The SVP’s restriction initiative, which wanted to end the free movement of people, had no chance at the polls. The proportion of votes against was 61.7 percent.
A clear result was expected: the Tamedia and SRG polls expected a non-turnout of around 65 percent ten days before the vote. The initiative found a majority only among SVP supporters.
With the No vote, the SVP continued to lose a series of votes: In recent years the party failed both with its initiatives and with the referendums, which it supported. Political scientists concluded on Sunday after the vote that the largest Swiss party had lost its mobilizing power.
After the clear no, the European political debate in Switzerland continues. The institutional arrangement should be refocused in the coming months. Ultimately, the EU requires it to regulate the legal development, monitoring, interpretation and dispute resolution of five market access agreements at the moment. In Switzerland, the draft met wide resistance.
The EU wants Switzerland to be clear as soon as possible and expects the Federal Council to sign the framework agreement “quickly”. The Swiss government, however, wants to take a few weeks to discuss its position on the deal. (sda / ldc)
