Swiss voters reject tighter neutrality rules that would have curbed NATO cooperation

A placard against (top) and a placard for the "Neutrality Initiative" in Rheinfelden, Switzerland, on Sept. 15 | AFP-JIJI

Reuters

Sep 28, 2026

ZURICH – Swiss voters on Sunday firmly rejected a proposal to adopt a more restrictive form of neutrality that would have blocked their country from imposing economic sanctions or cooperating with NATO.

All cantons and about 70% of voters rejected the proposal for a strictly defined version of neutrality to be written into the Swiss constitution, final results from the Federal Statistical Office showed.

“This result is not a vote against neutrality. Switzerland was neutral yesterday, it is neutral today, and it will remain neutral in the future,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said at a news conference following the outcome.

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