Swiss reject limits to free movement of people with EU
Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a bid to slash immigration from the EU, leaving free movement in the heart of Europe intact, and embraced offering paid paternity leave for the first time.
Final results showed that 61.7 percent of Swiss voters had balked at an initiative to tear up an agreement permitting the free movement of people between Switzerland and the surrounding EU.
The initiative, backed by the populist right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) -- Switzerland's largest party -- had been opposed by the government, parliament, unions, employer organisations and all other political parties out of fear it would jeopardise overall relations with the bloc.
SVP's initiative called for Switzerland to revise its constitution to ensure it can handle immigration policy autonomously.
The party, which has built its brand by condemning immigration and EU influence, warned that the wealthy Alpine country was facing "uncontrolled and excessive immigration".
But the government had cautioned that if Switzerland unilaterally voided the free movement accord, a "guillotine" clause will come into force to freeze the entire package of deals with the EU, its largest trading partner.
SVP lawmaker...