STORY: Swiss voters made their way to a polling station in Bern on Sunday (June 14) to decide on a proposal to cap the country's population at 10 million.

A preliminary projection on the referendum published by SRF indicated about 45% of voters were in favour of the proposal and 55% against.

The probable rejection showed a majority of voters had prioritised economic stability and the country's ties to the European Union over concerns that immigration is stretching public services, pushing up rents and fuelling crime.

The referendum, which was likened to Britain's 2016 Brexit vote, had put businesses on edge due to concerns it could lead to the end of free movement of labour between the Switzerland and the EU, its main trading partner.

The proposal championed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party stipulated that the population must not exceed 10 million before 2050, and that if it did so for two years, Switzerland should scrap its freedom of movement accord with the EU.

The Swiss population already stands at 9.1 million and has grown far more quickly than in the surrounding EU. Foreigners make up nearly 28% of the Swiss population, which official projections forecast will reach 10 million by the early 2040s.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: BERN, SWITZERLAND (JUNE 14, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. SIGN READING (German): 'POLLING STATION'

2. EXTERIOR OF HOCHFELD SCHOOL, WHERE VOTING TAKES PLACES

3. PEOPLE ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION

4. PEOPLE QUEUING, REGISTERING AND VOTING

5. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CASTING THEIR VOTE

6. VOTER SIMONE PAWLIK CASTING HER VOTE

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) VOTER SIMONE PAWLIK, SAYING:

"We forget that we also owe our prosperity to those who have immigrated. Switzerland is, in a way, also a country of immigration. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages. But I also believe that, given the demographic trends, we depend on people who come here, integrate, and contribute to a Switzerland with a diversity that benefits us."

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) VOTER GILLES HIRT, SAYING:

"I think this might be a basis for improving something in Switzerland, or at least preventing the chaos that will ensue with 10, 11, or 12 million - it’s going to be civil war. Look at what’s happening in other countries nearby, look at what’s happening now in Ireland, what’s happening in England, what’s happening in Germany, what’s happening in France, in Europe, in the EU (European Union), where Switzerland will deal with it… But I’m not getting on a sinking ship, I know it’s going to sink. The EU is finished, it’s over, it’s only a matter of time."

9. WOMAN CASTING HER VOTE