Swiss say no to hardening neutrality principle, safeguarding sanctions on Russia – POLITICO

Swiss voters appear to have rejected a proposal to introduce a more rigid enforcement of the country's neutrality principle — repudiating an idea which would have made imposing sanctions against Moscow more difficult.

In a referendum which took place Sunday, around 7 out of 10 Swiss participants voted against the "safeguard Swiss neutrality" initiative, according to projections from the Swiss polling institute GFS Bern. Early official results put the "no" camp at 68%, with a participation rate of 46%. Counting is still in progress.

If the proposal had been approved, Switzerland's neutrality, enshrined in the Constitution since 1848, would have been interpreted more strictly, with the country not joining or participating in any military or security alliance, and not imposing sanctions on hostile states.