¶ Signatures and Timeline
¶ 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 Neutrality Initiative was launched on 8 November 2022 and submitted on 11 April 2024 with 129,806 valid signatures. Following parliamentary proceedings (2025-2026), it was put to a popular vote without a counter-proposal and rejected on 27 September 2026.
¶ 1. Chronology
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 8 October 2022 | Foundation of "Pro Schweiz" in Bern (AUNS successor) [1] |
| 8 November 2022 | Launch of the Neutrality Initiative, start of signature collection [2] |
| 11 April 2024 | Submission to the Federal Chancellery with approx. 133,000 signatures [2] |
| 11 April 2024 | Federal Chancellery confirms 129,806 valid signatures [3] |
| 27 November 2024 | Bundesrat publishes dispatch: recommends No, without counter-proposal [4] |
| 19 June 2025 | Ständerat: Initiative rejected (35:8), counter-proposal adopted (27:15) [5] |
| 26 August 2025 | FPC-N launches consultation on the counter-proposal |
| 5 March 2026 | Nationalrat: Initiative rejected (128:60), counter-proposal rejected (109:77) [6] |
| 11--18 March 2026 | Reconciliation process between the chambers |
| 19 March 2026 | Conciliation conference: counter-proposal definitively failed [7] |
| 20 March 2026 | Final vote: recommendation No to people and cantons |
| 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. |
¶ 3. On the Signature Collection
- Collection period: 18 months (until 8 May 2024)
- Submitted: Approx. 4 weeks before the deadline
- Collected: Approx. 133,000 signatures
- Valid: 129,806 (required: 100,000) [3]
- According to Pro Schweiz, there was "unexpectedly strong support" also from Western Switzerland [2].
¶ 4. Voting Date
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.
- 27 September 2026.
- Requires popular and cantonal majority (double majority).
¶ References
[1] swissinfo.ch (2022). Pro Schweiz founded as AUNS successor.
SWI swissinfo.ch. [Open Access]
[2] SRF (2024). Pro Schweiz submits signatures for Neutrality Initiative.
Swiss Radio and Television. [Open Access]
[3] Federal Chancellery (2024). Federal Popular Initiative "Safeguarding Swiss Neutrality".
Swiss Federal Chancellery. [Open Access]
[4] Bundesrat (2024). Dispatch: Bundesrat recommends rejection of Neutrality Initiative.
Swiss Bundesrat. [Open Access]
[5] swissinfo.ch (2025). Ständerat recommends rejection of Neutrality Initiative.
SWI swissinfo.ch. [Open Access]
[6] swissinfo.ch (2026). Nationalrat rejects constitutional article on neutrality.
SWI swissinfo.ch. [Open Access]
[7] swissinfo.ch (2026). Counter-proposal to Neutrality Initiative is off the table.
SWI swissinfo.ch. [Open Access]
Political update: 6 September 2026; background reference: March 2026