Elections · Bern
Swiss neutrality initiative headed for defeat in September vote, first poll shows 54% opposed
A Leewas survey commissioned by Tamedia and 20 Minuten finds 54 percent of Swiss voters plan to reject a constitutional amendment on perpetual neutrality, with only 34 percent in favour three months before the 27 September referendum.
AI text based on reports by watson.ch/, SWI swissinfo.ch and 20 Minuten. Published . How it is made
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In brief
54 percent oppose the neutrality initiative and 34 percent support it, with 12 percent undecided in a Leewas poll of 26,205 voters.
The constitutional amendment would forbid economic sanctions unless approved by the UN Security Council and embed 'perpetual and armed neutrality' in the constitution.
72 percent of Swiss People's Party voters plan to vote yes; all other major parties show opposition above 77 percent, with Green Liberals at 82 percent.
40 percent of under-35s and rural, less formally educated voters lean yes, while only 27 percent of over-65s do.
The numbers
A nationwide poll of 26,205 Swiss citizens, conducted between 11 and 14 June 2026 and published on Sunday, puts the "Wahrung der schweizerischen Neutralität" initiative on course for failure. Broken down, 36 percent say they will definitely vote no and 18 percent lean no, while 23 percent are firmly yes and 11 percent lean yes. The remaining 12 percent are undecided.
- Oppose
- 54 %
- Support
- 34 %
- Undecided
- 12 %
Data from the article text
What the initiative demands
The proposal, launched by the Pro Schweiz organisation and SVP figures after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, would enshrine "perpetual and armed neutrality" in the Swiss constitution. Economic sanctions would be permitted only when mandated by the UN Security Council. The Federal Council and parliament oppose the text and have not offered a counter-proposal.
Who supports it
Support comes almost exclusively from voters of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), with 72 percent of that party's base intending to vote yes. Backing is stronger among younger voters living in rural areas and those without higher education. One bright spot for backers: 40 percent of under-35s say they would approve, compared with only 27 percent of those over 65.
“It is about the peace, security and freedom of our country. With our unique Swiss neutrality we have been spared from terrible wars over the last 200 years, and this must remain our main goal in the future.”
Broad opposition elsewhere
Every other major party bloc rejects the text. Opponents include 82 percent of Green Liberals, 79 percent of Greens and 77 percent of Social Democrats (SP). Resistance is strongest among older, university-educated voters in urban areas. The SP co-president did not mince words.
“The initiative would forbid Switzerland from imposing sanctions on the Putin regime, existing ones would even have to be lifted. That makes this a pro-Putin initiative.”
The gender gap
Men outnumber women in both the yes camp (40 to 32 percent) and the no camp (25 to 21 percent). Women, meanwhile, are more than twice as likely to be undecided, at 16 percent versus 7 percent for men, a dynamic that could still shift the final result.
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Sources and context
- Walter Wobmann
- Former SVP Nationalrat and president of the neutrality initiative committee
- Mattea Meyer
- Co-president of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP)
- Christoph Blocher
- SVP figure and backer of the neutrality initiative
- Places
- Bern
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