The Swiss People's Party is again leading the way against the election of a new people in Switzerland.The Local October 24, 2013 by Agency France Presse
Voters Narrowly Back Immigration Quotas: Poll
Fifty-two percent of voters backed the "Stop Mass Immigration" proposal, while 40 percent are against it, pollsters Isopublic said on Thursday.
The margin of error was 4.2 percent.
The quota plan was crafted by the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP) — the largest in parliament.
The SVP claims that Switzerland has lost control of its own immigration rules, with disastrous results for the economy and society such as undercutting local workers, driving up rents and land prices, and overburdening the health and education systems.
The Swiss establishment opposes the referendum.
The Swiss government and parliament have both rejected the plan, arguing that foreign workers have long been crucial to the economy of one of the world's wealthiest nations.
But under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, voters have the final say on a host of issues.
Some 1.9 million of the eight million people currently living in Switzerland are non-Swiss — 3.3 percent more than in 2012, according to official data.
