In the run up to this weekend’s referendum, the right-wing populist Swiss People’s party (SVP) argued the initiative would give passports to thousands of new citizens who don’t share “Swiss values.” The party campaigned against the proposals with posters showing a woman in a niqab with the slogan “no unchecked naturalization.”

The latest referendum result marks a second consecutive referendum defeat for the SVP, who led a robust anti-immigration campaign ahead of a referendum last year on a move to expel foreigners who commit crimes without appeal. Non-Swiss residents must typically wait 12 years before applying…

The new proposal will exempt third-generation immigrants, who are born in Switzerland and whose parents and grandparents lived permanently in Switzerland, from interviews and tests in the naturalisation process…

The result is a defeat for the right wing Swiss People’s Party … Some opponents had argued that the new proposal could lead to the “Islamisation” of the country.
Voters in Switzerland approve a referendum that makes it easier for third-generation immigrants to become citizens.