People in Switzerland are going to the polls to vote on a bill that aims to redefine the country's neutrality principle with strict rules in the constitution and end peacetime military cooperation with NATO.
The referendum, held under the direct democracy system, aims to prevent Switzerland from imposing unilateral economic sanctions and prohibiting it from acting jointly with any defense alliance unless there is a direct attack on the country.
If the bill is accepted, Switzerland will not be able to participate in any sanctions decisions that are not approved by the United Nations.
This will force the Bern administration to withdraw from the European Union sanctions imposed against Russia on the grounds of the Ukraine war.
The step was taken by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), the country's largest political movement, primarily through the pro-sovereignty organization "Pro Switzerland".
SVP, which is running the referendum campaign, calls on voters "No to war, yes to neutrality" on posters with white peace doves that it hangs throughout the country.
SVP supporter billionaire businessman Christoph Blocher said in his assessment to Reuters, "Switzerland has not experienced a war for 200 years because it has always remained armed and neutral."
Blocher argued that the principle of neutrality has been damaged in recent years and that, due to the sanctions imposed, Russia now sees Switzerland as a party to the conflict.
Deputy Chairman of the party, Celine Amaudruz, stated that the country should maintain its credibility through "permanent armed neutrality" in order to contribute to peace and diplomacy.
The Swiss government and other political parties in the parliament oppose the bill. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis noted that the proposal would harm national security and make it impossible for the army to conduct exercises with NATO.
According to the AFP agency, Cassis, in a television debate he participated in, argued that the principle should be applied with flexibility, saying, "Impartiality never means remaining indifferent. We cannot ignore when international rules that enable us to live in peace are violated."
Switzerland's neutrality, which dates back to 1516, has been recognized internationally since 1815, when the Napoleonic wars ended. However, how this principle will be implemented in practice is not clearly described in the constitutional text.
Those who want neutrality to be strictly framed argue that this kept the country out of two world wars and increased its power to mediate between conflicting parties.
The move, which some opponents described as "pro-Russian", also received praise from the Moscow administration.
Opinion polls show that the vast majority of voters will reject the bill.
In the latest surveys, the rate of "no" votes is around 68 percent, while support for the bill remains at 31 percent.
Fabio Wasserfallen, Professor of European Politics at the University of Bern, made the following assessment regarding the voter trend:
"Swiss voters embrace neutrality, but they are also satisfied with the way the government implements it. They also generally support the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the Ukraine war and do not want this attitude to change."
A second bill on food safety is also coming before voters in Sunday's referendum.
An independent citizens' movement is demanding that Switzerland's food self-sufficiency rate be increased from 42 percent to 70 percent by 2024.
While the government and political parties argue that this goal is unrealistic, polls indicate that this proposal will not pass the ballot box either.
