Swiss reject tighter neutrality rules in referendum backed by right-wing populist party

Swiss voters on Sunday roundly rejected a proposal to tighten their country’s neutrality, final results showed, dismissing an initiative championed by the hard-right and dubbed “pro-Russian” by opponents.

While the Swiss widely embrace their neutrality, the initiative to enshrine a strict definition into the constitution exposed deep disagreement over what that neutrality entails.

The proposal was rejected by 70.1 per cent of voters, according to the final results.

“This result is not a vote against neutrality,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told journalists in Bern as the figures were announced.