An activist group in Switzerland submitted signatures today to initiate a referendum on a constitutional amendment that would lift economic sanctions imposed on Russia and exclude restrictions on trade with China.
The "Neutrality Initiative" group submitted a petition with 130.000 signatures to government officials in Bern, which almost certainly ensured that the referendum would be held in the next few months, writes the Financial Times.
Backed by the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), Switzerland's largest political movement, the initiative proposes four new clauses that would define more precisely what the Alpine country's long-term neutrality means in practice.
The constitutional changes would prohibit Switzerland from becoming a member of any military alliance unless it is itself attacked and prevent the government from imposing or joining any form of coercive sanctions regime like the one it imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, unless authorized by the UN Security Council. mandate.
As China and Russia have the right to veto any Security Council vote, such a condition would guarantee Switzerland the status of a permanent sanctuary for Moscow and Beijing.
"If all countries behaved like Switzerland, there would be no war," said the SVP in a statement welcoming the news of the signature, adding that the introduction of sanctions against Russia "endangers the internal peace and stability of the country, which is unique in its success in the middle of Europe."
The party also condemned "targeted attempts to undermine [Swiss] neutrality".
Bern agreed with European Union decisions to impose economic sanctions on Russian individuals and companies linked to President Vladimir Putin's regime since he launched an invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Assets of sanctioned individuals and companies are frozen in Swiss vaults, while banks in the country are prohibited from doing business with them.
The measures raised the question of what Switzerland would do if relations between China and the West worsened further, as wealthy Chinese have been among the most important sources of money for Switzerland's powerful financial sector in recent years.
Sanctions and the issue of support for Ukraine have sparked an increasingly heated debate, pitting conservative traditionalists, social democratic pacifists and free market advocates against the mostly younger generations of pro-European and social liberals.
Polls show that the neutrality debate is not a major concern for the majority of Swiss, but that its relevance is growing.
According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss parliament can first propose a compromise option, which the organizers of the initiative can choose to accept instead of a referendum. However, analysts estimate that this is unlikely to happen.
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