The populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has launched a referendum bid, seeking a vote on the obligation to prioritise Swiss people and longtime local residents for Zurich apartments.
Switzerland’s largest city has been in the throes of a steadily worsening housing shortage for years, with the demand for affordable accommodations outweighing the supply.
The SVP is blaming this situation on the influx of foreigners who, the party claims, occupy most of the available housing to the detriment of the local population.
The SVP has been arguing that immigrants already strain Switzerland’s infrastructure such as housing, public transport, schools, and the heath system, and the situation will worsen with time — especially since demographers predict that foreigners will swell Switzerland’s current 9-million population to 10 million in several years.
The party had launched a referendum in 2024 demanding a national vote on curbing immigration.
The date for that vote has not yet been set but, in the meantime, the SVP’s Zurich section on Wednesday launched a bid for a cantonal vote in favour of housing allocation to the local population, rather than newly arrived foreigners.
Deadline
According to the text of the initiative under this name, if Switzerland’s population does reach the 10-million mark, as experts predict, landlords would have to give preference to “Swiss citizens and people who have lived in the canton of Zurich for at least 10 years” when allocating housing.
The SVP explained this move by arguing that the increasingly larger share of demand for housing comes from foreigners.
READ ALSO: Just how much are foreigners to blame for Switzerland’s housing shortage
To bring this initiative to the ballot box, the party has to collect 6,000 signatures within six months – giving them a deadline of February 13th.
But even if it does so, experts say that such a move would not be legal.
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Though the SVP asserts the initiative’s legitimacy, Zurich law professor Daniel Moeckli sees it as a violation of overriding federal legislation.
“There is no objective reason to give preferential treatment to a Swiss citizen who wants to move to Zurich from another place over a foreign national who has lived in the canton for nine years,” he said.
