Swiss voters weigh constitutional cap of 10 million on population

ANBAR, Iraq — Swiss voters are casting ballots on a constitutional amendment that would set a 10 million ceiling on the country's population. The referendum coincides with a period of identity tension in Europe linked to a new EU Migration and Asylum Pact scheduled to take effect in June 2026. The EU pact would allow member states to fast-track citizens of countries whose approval rate falls below 20% through border detention centers and deport them to third countries such as Rwanda, Mauritania or Tunisia. Human rights groups have said documented forced pushbacks of asylum seekers by Greece and Spain in the Mediterranean in 2025 violate the 1951 Geneva Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. With Europeans over 65 nearing 27% of the population and fertility rates falling to 1.5, the care, health and construction sectors have grown increasingly dependent on migrant labor. UN-linked sources have said calls are under discussion to move the right of asylum beyond national referendums through a global referendum mechanism.