¶ Neutrality Initiative: vote and result
¶ Result of the vote on 27 September 2026
The Neutrality Initiative was rejected on 27 September 2026 by 70.15% No to 29.85% Yes. All 26 cantons rejected it; the cantonal vote was 0 to 23.
Provisional official final result · Data as of 27 September 2026, 16:12 (Europe/Zurich).
| Result | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 789’130 | 29.85% |
| No | 1’854’767 | 70.15% |
Turnout: 47.06%.
The proposed Article 54a will therefore not be added to the Federal Constitution. The background and arguments below document the debate before the vote.
Summary: The Federal Popular Initiative "Safeguarding Swiss Neutrality" seeks to enshrine a new Art. 54a in the Federal Constitution. It demands permanent, armed neutrality, a prohibition of military alliances and non-military coercive measures, and an obligation to serve as mediator. The initiative was put to a popular vote without a counter-proposal and rejected on 27 September 2026.
¶ The Initiative in Brief
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official title | Federal Popular Initiative "Safeguarding Swiss Neutrality" |
| Content | New Art. 54a FC: Permanent, armed neutrality as constitutional principle |
| Submitted | 11 April 2024 with 129,806 valid signatures |
| Sponsoring body | Verein Pro Schweiz (AUNS successor) |
| Bundesrat | Recommends rejection (dispatch of 27 November 2024) |
| Parliament | Both chambers recommend rejection; counter-proposal failed |
| 27 September 2026 | The Neutrality Initiative was rejected on 27 September 2026 by 70.15% No to 29.85% Yes. All 26 cantons rejected it; the cantonal vote was 0 to 23. |
| Required majority | Popular AND cantonal majority (double majority) |
¶ Navigation to Sub-pages
¶ The Initiative Text (Art. 54a FC)
Full wording of the new constitutional article with explanations of each paragraph and comparison table (today vs. after acceptance).
¶ The Four Pillars of the Initiative
Detailed analysis of the four core demands: permanent neutrality, alliance ban, sanctions ban, mediation obligation.
¶ Initiators and Committee
Verein Pro Schweiz, key figures, initiative committee and political classification.
¶ Signatures and Timeline
Chronology from launch (November 2022) to the expected popular vote.
¶ Parliamentary Proceedings
All voting results in Nationalrat and Ständerat, reconciliation process and conciliation conference.
¶ Position of the Bundesrat
Dispatch of 27 November 2024: arguments for the recommendation to reject.
¶ Interplay with the Bilateral Agreements III
Temporal parallelism and substantive tension with the EU integration package.
¶ References
[1] Federal Chancellery (2024). Federal Popular Initiative "Safeguarding Swiss Neutrality".
Swiss Federal Chancellery. [Open Access]
[2] Parliament (2024). Curia Vista Item 24.092.
Swiss Federal Assembly. [Open Access]
[3] swissinfo.ch (2025). What does the Neutrality Initiative want?
SWI swissinfo.ch. [Open Access]
Political update: 6 September 2026; background reference: March 2026