Swiss voters keep neutrality flexible despite push for stricter rules

Swiss voters keep neutrality flexible despite push for stricter rules
Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to write a more restrictive definition of neutrality into the constitution, with about 70% voting against it and every canton opposing the measure. The result leaves the government’s current discretion intact: Switzerland remains neutral, but can decide case by case whether to impose economic sanctions and cooperate with security partners.

The vote followed a debate sharpened by Bern’s adoption of European Union sanctions against Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and by Switzerland’s 2023-24 term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Proponents said those developments had weakened a long-standing national principle and sought constitutional safeguards against involvement in conflicts between other states.

Pro Suisse, the sovereignty-focused group behind the initiative, and the Swiss People’s Party argued for a more fixed model of neutrality. Céline Amaudruz, an SVP vice-president and parliamentarian, said Switzerland should offer “peace, diplomacy and dialogue” but could do so only if it was credible through “permanent and armed neutrality.”

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis offered the opposing interpretation: “Neutrality does not mean that Switzerland turns a blind eye when there is a violation of international norms.” After the result, he stressed that the referendum was not a rejection of neutrality itself: “Switzerland was neutral yesterday, it is neutral today and it will remain neutral in the future.”

For Cassis, the distinction is practical. He said Switzerland’s security is tied to that of its neighbours and Europe, making limited cooperation compatible with neutrality when it improves the country’s safety. Supporters of the failed measure instead saw such flexibility as the very risk the constitution should have prevented.

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