Swiss voters just told a proposed hard ceiling on population growth: not so fast. In a nationwide referendum Sunday, about 54% rejected a proposal to freeze Switzerland’s population at 10 million, despite polls that had suggested a razor-thin race, reports the Financial Times. The measure, which the AP notes was dubbed the “Swiss Brexit” and was pushed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, would have forced the government to clamp down once the population hit 9.5 million and could ultimately have meant scrapping free movement with the EU—central to the country’s relationship with the bloc.
The outcome is a clear win for the government, business groups, and unions, which warned the plan would rattle investors, choke off foreign labor, and jeopardize economic growth. “Good sense won out,” said Vincent Subilia of the Geneva chamber of commerce, calling it a positive signal for both the economy and ties with Brussels. The campaign, however, showed the staying power of worries over immigration, housing costs, and strained infrastructure—issues that analysts say will remain at the heart of Swiss politics even without a hard population cap.