Switzerland to vote on plan to cap population at 10 million

Can a country put a fixed limit on its population? That is the question Switzerland will be answering on Sunday when voters go the polls to decide on a proposal to cap their population at 10 million.

The move is backed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party, which describes it as a "sustainability initiative" aimed at easing pressure on housing, public services and the environment.

The Swiss government, all other major parties, business leaders and trade unions have dubbed the proposal a "chaos initiative", arguing it will deprive hospitals and hotels of much needed staff, and damage hard-won relations with the European Union, leaving non-EU member Switzerland isolated in a very risky world.

Switzerland's population has grown rapidly since 2002, when it stood at 7.3 million. Now it is 9.1 million, 27% of whom are foreign residents.

Many voters are concerned by overcrowded trains, expensive apartments and rising health costs.

The latest opinion polls indicate this could be a very close vote.

They suggest voters are inching towards a no vote by a wafer thin margin, with 52% opposed - but polls remain divided, with 45% saying they are in favour of the proposal and a significant number of voters still undecided.

Helin Genis and Nils Fiechter have a good deal in common, but their diametrically opposed views on limiting the Swiss population are indicative of the polarised nature of this referendum.