04/12/2024

The Swiss Will Get to Vote on Their Country’s Famous ‘Neutrality’

Debate about Switzerland’s neutrality sharpened last year

Armed with some 130,000 certified signatures, Swiss activists submitted a petition in Bern on Thursday that would pave the way for a national vote in the coming months on proposed constitutional amendments to enshrine Switzerland’s longstanding policy of neutrality in international affairs. An initiative needs 100,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

Debate about Switzerland’s neutrality sharpened last year after authorities followed in the European Union’s footsteps to adopt increasing sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine—bucking a centuries-long tradition of not taking sides in global conflicts. In 2022, a top Swiss official also warned that the country would impose punitive measures should China invade Taiwan, though Switzerland did not join subsequent E.U. sanctions against China.

A 2023 survey of Swiss voters found 91 percent of respondents approved of neutrality in general, though 75 percent believed sanctions against Russia were compatible with the principle.

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