Switzerland is preparing for a key vote that could, pay attention to this, change its demographic future and its relationship with Europe. Switzerland goes back to the polls this Sunday to decide for the third time in a referendum whether to place strict limits on immigration.
The Swiss will vote this Sunday in a referendum on whether or not they want a Switzerland with more than 10 million inhabitants. The plan would force the government to restrict asylum and family reunification if the population reaches 9.5 million inhabitants. A study commissioned by the Swiss government warns that setting a cap of 10,000 residents could reduce the size of the economy by up to 12% by the end of this century.
This is the third attempt by the right-wing party after achieving narrow support in 2014 and suffering a clear rejection in 2020. Switzerland says yes to immigrants. They have just voted against a referendum that proposed putting a limit of 10 million inhabitants on their entire population. Thus, just like Lois, the Swiss far right has proposed a referendum to limit Switzerland’s population to 10 million inhabitants by 2050, and the Swiss have said no.
But that doesn’t mean they love immigration and want to welcome all immigrants with open arms. In reality, the problem is much more complex. Okay, I know what you’re all wondering right now. And what do I care what they vote or don’t vote in a referendum in Switzerland? Well, it affects you a lot, because the debate the Swiss have had is the same debate we’re soon going to have in all European countries, including Spain and probably also in many other Latin American countries.
Well, to put it another way, this is the debate that European countries like Spain are already having , but in this case, it’s argued in the Swiss style. In other words, in the rest of the world the debate on immigration is incredibly polarized and can be summed up as those dark-skinned people should get the hell out of our country.
We don’t want any more dark-skinned people. Fascism, fascism. I am surrounded by fascism. You are a fascist, and you are also a fascist. You are all fascists. However, the Swiss have shown that they are capable of having a reasonable debate, even on this highly polarized issue, contributing good arguments from both sides.
What can I tell you about Switzerland? We are talking about one of the oldest democracies in the world, the land of direct democracy. And at the same time, or perhaps because of that, one of the richest countries on planet Earth. This means that since 1848, successive generations of Swiss people have created a civic culture that, let’s be clear, would be virtually impossible to import all at once into any other country.
As we will see in today’s video, the Swiss are used to voting in referendums and that has taught them one very important thing: to decide responsibly. That’s why the ideas that have been debated in Switzerland these days are going to end up being discussed in Spain and other countries, but unfortunately with much more noise.
And you might ask, but what exactly did the Swiss vote for? So, the Swiss will vote this Sunday in a referendum on whether or not they want a Switzerland with more than 10 million inhabitants. The initiative to cap the entry of migrants comes from the far right, and polls anticipate a very close result. And I know what many of you are wondering , because it’s ridiculous how moderated debates are in Switzerland.
In other words, they are actually considering the possibility, listen up, of limiting the country’s population. In other words, as soon as they reach 10 million inhabitants, boom. Bye, Larry. But now think of it this way. In 2002, Switzerland had 7.2 million inhabitants; now it has 9 million. That means a 25% population growth in just over 20 years.
And you’ll say, “Is that a lot? Is that a little?” So pay attention to the comparison. The Swiss population has grown more and faster than that of any other country in Europe. And this growth is not because the Swiss spend all day thinking, “Let’s get the damn papal bull once and for all.” He has run out of sperm.
No, no, no, don’t worry, that doesn’t happen in Switzerland. They’re Swiss, they’re as boring as the stereotype. The thing is, the immigrant population in this country has increased dramatically more than in any other country in Europe. And some will say, “Ah, yet another European country falls prey to the Muslim invasion.
” And let’s be clear, the debate about Islamic immigration is the debate in Europe right now, especially when we receive news like this. Shock in Italy over the brutal murder of four foreign farmworkers in Calabria. A crime that has once again put the spotlight on the labor exploitation of immigrants in the Italian countryside.
I’m not going to show you the pictures that are there, but it’s absolutely savage. There are videos on the internet where you can see how four Afghan farmworkers were burned alive in the car while the killers closed the doors to prevent them from getting out. But it turns out that the attackers weren’t far-right, racist Italians; no, they were Pakistani immigrants.
You did n’t see this one coming, did you? Let’s be clear, countries like France, Italy, or Spain are receiving a lot of immigrants from Muslim countries, and that creates a cultural clash that we cannot deny exists. In France, for example, Algerians and Moroccans are the main immigrant groups, and no one can deny that this is creating very serious problems in security and, in general, in the maintenance of the French state and infrastructure.
And yes, all this is happening in many countries, in France, in Germany, in Spain, but not in Switzerland. Pay attention to these figures. As you can see, the vast majority of immigrants that Switzerland receives come from Europe itself. Countries like Italy, Germany, and Portugal, interestingly, have more immigrants from Kosovo than from Türkiye.
And yes, Kosovo is indeed a Muslim country, but it’s fifth on the list. I mean, there are more Spaniards than Turks in Switzerland. And now think about it this way. Switzerland is right here next to Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. Look, none of these countries are poor or anything like that , but even so, Switzerland is much richer.
Keep in mind that we are talking about one of the richest countries in the world, with the highest quality of life and well-being. That means that for a Spaniard, Switzerland is more or less what Spain is for a Serb or a Bulgarian. And I’m not just saying this for the sake of saying it. In other words, the difference in income between a Spaniard and a Swiss person is the same as the difference between a Bulgarian and a Spaniard.
And Spain has a lot of Bulgarian immigrants. In the same way that Switzerland attracts a lot of immigrants from all its neighboring countries, no matter how rich they are. The difference in quality of life is abysmal. The difference in salaries is incomparable. And besides, all Europeans can emigrate to Switzerland without any problem.
This is because Switzerland belongs to the so-called free movement area of the European Union. In other words, just as I, as a Spaniard, can live in the Czech Republic without any problems, the same could be true in Switzerland. And thanks to that, the Suos have so many European immigrants. And some might think, well then, where’s the problem? I mean , I don’t think, and it’s not because I ‘m Spanish, but I don’t think the Suas have any problem with the integration of, well, the Spanish. Moreover, I’m sure they’ll be
delighted every time someone decides to open a Spanish-themed restaurant with a flamenco stage to make the Spanish Experience more authentic. And if it’s in the center of Zurich, even better. So the Swiss banker takes his Sugar Baby out to dinner. And yes, you are right, but the fact that the population has grown in just 20 years, and that it has grown, listen to this, by 1.
8 million inhabitants, 1.8 million new people, this generates another type of problems. It’s as if right now Spain suddenly had 62 million inhabitants instead of the almost 50 million it currently has. But that’s not all, take a look at this map. What you see here is the European single market , which is not the same as the European Union.
In other words, you already know that Switzerland is not part of the European Union, it is not part of the EU, it is not a member state, but it is within the area of free trade and free movement. That means that if a European country like, I don’t know, Germany, France, whatever , accepts a Syrian or Iraqi or Ukrainian immigrant or refugee, it is very difficult to prevent that person from crossing the border at some point and going to live in Switzerland. Pay attention to this graph.
This is one of the graphs shown by supporters of this proposal. As you can see, as Syrian and Ukrainian refugees arrived in Europe, they also arrived in Switzerland. Until now, the Swiss had no major problems welcoming these people. Moreover, Switzerland has been especially generous to Ukrainian refugees.
I once had the opportunity to visit a refugee center in Switzerland and I have to tell you that the conditions were spectacular. Modern, newly renovated houses with modern kitchens and everything subsidized by the government. But obviously this has a problem. What if one day Switzerland wanted to control its borders? Just as in France or Germany they want to be able to control who enters, so does Switzerland , but at the same time it is almost impossible while they are in the European free movement area.
And look what’s happening in neighboring countries. A new day of protests, of fires, of fury that occurred in this case in Marseille. We are in Lleida and we are going to show you the Spain that Sánchez wants, the Spain of chaos and the Spain that the left has achieved with separatism. Let’s be clear, there are areas in Europe where African and Middle Eastern immigrants outnumber the local population.
Yes, it is true that we are talking about very specific locations, very specific cities and very specific neighborhoods, but this is a reality that is in front of us and that poses problems. Problems that in many cases are not being openly discussed in parliaments, but are being discussed on the street. I mean, I’m sure many Spaniards have said or heard this at some point.
Dude, I was in Jeida the other day and it’s amazing. I was on the bus, and I was the only Spaniard. everyone else was from Morocco, from Algeria, the only Spaniard on the bus. Well, although Switzerland is not exactly experiencing this reality, they are seeing what may be coming their way. And at the moment there is practically nothing that can prevent a large number of these immigrants from crossing the border and settling anywhere in Switzerland.
They simply do not control their borders, and that is why the Swiss People’s Party has called this referendum. But wait, what exactly does their proposal consist of? Well, no, it’s not like when they reach 10 million inhabitants they start deporting Diest Siniestro in pure style. I’m Larry. The figure of 10 million inhabitants is a threshold beyond which Switzerland would begin to implement border controls.
And if that meant having to leave the European free movement area at some point, they would be willing to do so. In other words, it’s not the madness it seems at first glance. Look, I’m not saying I think it’s a good measure, in fact I don’t think so and I ‘ll explain why later, but it’s certainly not the crazy thing it might seem at first glance, but the most interesting thing is who has supported this initiative. So pay attention.
” No to the Switzerland of 10 million” is the initiative presented by the far right. his third attempt to curb the arrival of foreigners. The Swiss People’s Party is the most voted party in this country and yes, we could more or less classify it as far right, which you know I don’t say as an offensive term, it is simply a party that is further to the right than the traditional center-right parties in Europe have always been.
However, it is a Swiss version of the far right. I mean, those arguments go far beyond saying those dark-skinned people should get the hell out of our country. We don’t want any more dark-skinned people, and they focus more on things like, if the population grows so fast, rents also go up. They’ve had the same problem in Canada, and we Swiss don’t want to go through the same thing.
In addition, public services are congested and, according to several studies, school performance drops dramatically when children who do not speak the local language arrive at public schools. One only needs to look at the latest PISA report results to see how Switzerland has fallen in all categories.
In fact, although the proposal was presented by the far right, it has found allies in the most unimaginable places on the political spectrum. How dare you. Yes, you heard right, some far-left environmental organizations have also supported this proposal. Ultimately, within radical environmentalism there is an ideological current that is against what they call overpopulation.
So, as you can see, the debate raised by the Swiss is very interesting. And furthermore, based on this story, I’m going to tell you something even more interesting: how direct democracy works in Switzerland. Just think, we’re talking about one of the most fascinating countries in the world. In my opinion, one of my favorite countries and a role model .
In fact, I have visited Switzerland many times just to get to know its political system and culture more closely . And it’s one of my favorite countries. And there are many lessons we can learn from this story. Therefore, the questions I ask myself in today’s video are one: what problems does mass immigration generate even when it can be well integrated into society? Second, why don’t I like the population cap solution? And three, how do direct democracy and referendums work, and what kind of society do they create? Today we’re going to answer these
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Welcome to Only Fonts. Before we talk about immigration, let’s explain how direct democracy works in Switzerland. The central idea is that any political party or any citizen can call a referendum to propose anything and only needs 100,000 votes. And I know what many of you are thinking right now . Wow, how wonderful.
The Swiss are living in the year 2060. I wish we had something like that in my country. Well, the answer is that you most likely already have something similar in your country. For example, in Spain, 500,000 signatures are enough to propose a referendum in Parliament. Remember that Spain has a much larger population than Switzerland.
What’s the difference? First, in Switzerland, if you have these signatures, that is, 100,000 signatures, which in Spain would be 500,000, they are obliged to call the referendum. In other words, it’s not a proposal, it’s an obligation. And the second is that in Switzerland they have a political culture where referendums are an everyday occurrence .
For example, in 2025 alone, Swiss people living in Zurich, the most populated city in the country with over 1 million inhabitants, had the opportunity to vote attentively in 24 referendums. 24 referendums, eh, that’s quite a lot . [snort] Some will be national, others will be cantonal, others local.
In other words, it’s not just a celebration of democracy, it’s a full- blown orgy of democracy. This is the election version of it. Look, 1057 in 24 hours, which is, the numbers haven’t come out for me either [clears throat] the numbers that do come out are going to disappoint more than one person. Because yes, the downside of holding so many referendums is that the vast majority of Swiss people don’t even bother to go and vote.
Keep in mind that in many cases we are talking about topics where most people have no opinion. For example, a farmer who advocates for animal welfare has moved heaven and earth to get a referendum held in Switzerland on the right of cows to keep their horns. Do cows have to have horns or not? For or against? What do you think? Specifically, in this referendum, the issue at hand was not whether cows can have horns or not, but whether the state should subsidize Swiss farmers for dehorning cows and goats.
Okay, in any case, do you really have an opinion on this? Probably not. Nor should you have it, unless you are a farmer or you really like cows. And most of the suos didn’t have an opinion either. That’s why , in this referendum, the turnout was 37%. In other words, the price to pay for having so much direct democracy is a fairly low voter turnout.
Even in parliamentary elections, in the last ones for example, they only had a 46% turnout. Compare that to the 70% we saw, for example, in the last Spanish general elections in 2023. Does this mean I don’t like Swiss democracy because it has low voter turnout? No not at all. I still think he’s a role model, but that does n’t mean I’m going to mythologize him and tell you that in Switzerland they tie up dogs with sausages.
And I know what many of you are thinking again, that the numbers didn’t work out for me . To me [clears throat] 24 referendums in a year means you have to go to the polls twice a week, sorry, twice a month. Come on, Swiss democracy is more trouble than a stupid son. Well, no, calm down. The dreams may be many things, but they are not disordered.
And the system works as follows. Every year there are four election dates: one at the end of winter, one at the end of spring, one at the end of summer, and one at the end of autumn. There they gather all the referendums that have been called. For example, in the case we are dealing with today, the Swiss who live in Zurich, which I tell you is the largest city and I use it as an example because it is the most representative, not only had to decide on this population cap of 10 million inhabitants , but also, since they were there,
voted on a reform of the civil service and 18 other local and cantonal proposals. For example, they have also voted on a law to build more public housing. Direct democracy in Switzerland is based on three different types of referendums. The first is the popular initiative that is activated when people propose a change in the Constitution.
Anyone can do it as long as they gather 100,000 signatures. In that case, the proposal goes to a national vote, as has been the case, for example, with this project of the 10 million population cap. Swiss citizens go to the polls on Sunday to vote on a popular initiative proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SP), the largest party in Parliament, to limit the national population to below 10,000 people by 2050.
The second option is a mandatory referendum, and it is not called that because every citizen has to vote. I’m telling you, they have a pretty low participation rate. They are called that because it is the obligation of Parliament to submit any change to the Constitution to the people’s opinion .
They cannot prevent it, and without the vote the changes are illegal. And the third path is called the optional referendum, and this is the self-defense weapon of voters when they consider blocking a law that has just been passed in Parliament. In this case, they only need to gather 50,000 signatures, and on the following election Sunday, people can support or reject the law. It’s that simple.
The Swiss, moreover, perfected the system in which everyone gives their opinion, proposes, and can even veto what their legislators decide. But to make the system even more efficient, referendums necessarily coincide with elections for public office. In other words, on one hand proposals are voted on, and on the other hand candidates are voted on .
Every four years, the Swiss elect their deputies, who represent the citizens, and senators, who defend the interests of each of the 27 cantons. The two chambers jointly appoint their government and president. But don’t think of a prime minister like Pedro Sánchez in Spain or Donald Trump in the USA. No. The power lies with the Federal Council of Seven Ministers who are also elected by Parliament to form the government.
In other words, as you can see, the Swiss dilute power in sufficient doses so that no one can impose themselves on the rest. And I’m going to prove it to you. Can you tell me who the Swiss president is without Googling him? Well, most Swiss people don’t either. Yes, it turns out that the president of Switzerland is just another minister, and in fact, they rotate him every year .
In other words, he is simply a primus inter pares of the Governing Council. But little else. And you might ask, how does such a system work ? Well, on the one hand, the Swiss are used to debating things like this. Referendum in Switzerland. Voters support the ban on wearing masks in public. In this case, 51.2% of the Swiss went to vote and supported the law, which, incidentally , is not a measure only against Muslims, but also against any protester who hides their identity to provoke riots.
And in each case, they can’t blame the politicians because the debate wasn’t a ” you too” kind of thing, mainly because they weren’t debating political identities, that is, whether I’m left-wing, right-wing, socialist, conservative, or even about parties. They were discussing a specific measure, not a complete ideological package.
Do you understand? In other words, there may be left-wing people who are even in favor of immigration, but who will vote in favor of this measure. Thus, debates in Switzerland are an example of civility, good arguments, and little nonsense. Do you want an example? Well, we’re going to see it right now. Greta Tumberg in bed with Donald Trump.
Before we continue, if you’re new to this channel, let me remind you that we release new videos every week. The news reports tell you the news, I tell you the story. If you’re interested in international politics, geopolitics, a bit of economics, and all of it seasoned with a good dose of dark humor and sarcasm, this is the place for you.
So, you know what to do: subscribe and hit the bell so you don’t miss any of our updates. And now, let’s continue with today’s story. This project to limit the Swiss population is nothing new. Actually, something similar was already voted on in 2014. The difference is that this time the proposal didn’t come from the far right, but quite the opposite.
On Sunday, a large majority of Swiss voters rejected the EPOP initiative, which aimed to curb population growth by limiting immigration. Ecop, which has a fantastic name, is like pop ecology, but it’s really about ecology and population. It is a Swiss environmental organization that looks more like this than anything else.
How dare you. Actually, the idea that overpopulation is a super problem is nothing new either. In fact, it was already proposed by the British geographer Thomas Malthus in 1798. According to Malthus, if the population grows too much, there will come a time when there will not be enough resources for everyone.
And you’ll say, “I was right.” Well, you can judge for yourselves . In 1798, when Malthus stated his theories, the Earth, the planet, had an estimated population of about 700 or 1000 million inhabitants. Today we far exceeded 8 billion. It has multiplied eightfold in two and a half centuries. [snort] Is there a shortage of resources? Well no.
In fact, there are actually more resources now than before. Even in African countries, malnutrition has become a phenomenon largely limited to small regions. Look, it’s still a problem, of course, we have to fight hunger, but it’s a much smaller problem than before and these are the facts, they can’t be argued.
In other words, Thomas Malthus’s theories are more than discredited by reality itself. And, sir, phrenology was dismissed as nonsense 100 years ago. However, just because something is a lie doesn’t mean there aren’t still people who defend it. In fact, although it may sometimes be surprising, there are still communists in the world.
Greetings to my good friend Eduardo Garzón, by the way, it’s been a while since you dedicated a video to me. Come on, send me a little greeting, it would make me happy. Well, the thing is that within the How dare you world, there is a current that advocates limiting economic growth and population. They are, I think they are called the degrowth movement or something like that.
And in this case, the Swiss from Ecop, who would fall under this ideological current, proposed limiting the entry of immigrants to 0.2% of the population. Their particular logic indicated that if the population grew, urban areas would increase, and this implied the destruction of natural areas, an argument they have also used in the referendum of these days, and that more people will mean a greater need for resources and consequently more destruction of the environment, an argument that has also been used these days. And from that moment they
realized that the Swiss population was remaining stable, but that the demographic growth was due to the arrival of immigrants to contribute to the prosperity of its economy. During these days the population remained stable. But today it’s on the decline. Yes, yes, on the decline. The Swiss birth rate is 1.29 children per woman.
As I was saying, the Swiss aren’t really into it , they’re boring people. What can we do? In any case, this is far from 2.1, which is what is needed just to prevent the population from declining. And so, since the Swiss population is declining, if they want labor, they have to bring it in through immigration. In 30 years the country added more than 2 million, a significant increase.
A large part of that growth actually comes from immigration. As you can see, the debate on migrant quarantine goes way back, but the Swiss right added other arguments that were also being raised by the far left of Ecop, such as the problem of increased state spending. If the population grows, more schools, more hospitals, and more housing are needed; these are scarce and becoming increasingly expensive in Switzerland.
The invisible crisis: Switzerland, one of the worst countries in Europe in terms of access to housing. Think of it this way. If 83,000 new immigrants arrive in Switzerland each year ( net immigrants) and no new houses are built at the same time, what happens? Shut up, Eduardo Garzón! We’re talking to older people.
Let’s see what happens. What happens if the demand for housing increases and the supply does not increase? Eduardo Garzón, shut up, we don’t want to hear you, this is not your moment. This is not your element. What’s happening? Exact. The price is rising for both buying and renting homes. And in response to this, two solutions are possible.
Limit demand or expand supply. There is no other way. Both have good points and both have bad points, but it’s logical to have a debate in these terms. And the same applies to schools or public services. For example, if in a class there are many children who do not speak the local language because they are foreigners, the teachers cannot teach normally, and this results in worse education and worse results for everyone else.
This problem exists, it cannot be denied, and it is a real problem. The question is, is limiting the population the solution? Well , personally, in this case, I do n’t think so. I believe the solution is to build more schools, but we cannot deny that there is a problem that needs to be solved.
And the same applies to crime and many other issues. Switzerland has shown us that it is possible to have a reasonable debate where data is presented, and they can do so because at least in Switzerland there is a debate about ideas and not about people. In fact, what was the argument against this measure of capping the population at 10 million? No, it didn’t come from fascism.
Fascism. I am surrounded by fascism. You are a fascist, and you are also a fascist. You are all fascists. In reality, the greatest opposition has come from liberal parties and the business sector. Yes, these are the ones who have said they need immigrants to fill jobs. In his opinion, the solution to all problems is to increase public services, even if that means increasing public spending.
They don’t hide it. It’s an open and honest debate. In this way there would be public services, but the economy would continue to grow and Switzerland could remain integrated into the European economic area on which a large part of its industry depends. It’s something you may have a different opinion on.
Obviously, you can imagine that I am not in favor of this proposal, but again, this debate in Switzerland has laid all the cards on the table and we have all been able to learn a little more. For that reason alone , I think it was worth making this video. So now that you’ve reached this point, I hope you’ve learned a lot, and now it’s your turn.
Do you agree with this proposal to limit a country’s population? Is it possible to have a debate about immigration without falling into extremes and ideologies? Would you like to have a system of direct democracy like the one they have in Switzerland? You can leave your answer in the comments and as always, don’t forget that here at Solo Fonseca we release new videos every week.
So, you know what to do: subscribe to this channel and hit the bell icon so you do n’t miss any of our updates. If you liked this video, give it a like and we’ll see you in the next one. Thank you for being there and see you soon .
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
