The Swiss rejected a proposal Sunday to provide the entire population with a basic income of 2,500 Swiss francs (around €2,300) a month per adult and 625 francs (around €565) per child, with 76.9 percent of voters opposing the initiative, AFP reports.
Had it passed, the government would have had to provide an unconditional, basic income to each Swiss national and foreigners who had been legal residents for at least five years.
The median income in Switzerland is currently above 6,000 francs (about €5,414) a month.
The government and most political parties had recommended voting against the measure, with authorities estimating Switzerland would need to raise an additional 25 billion francs (about €22.6 billion) to fund the initiative, requiring either hefty tax increases or deep spending cuts.
Sunday’s referendum was called after its champions collected the 100,000 signatures required to hold a popular vote, a feature of the country’s direct democracy system.
Supporters of the initiative said they were pleased with the result because their main objective had been to start the conversation.
“We are very happy,” Ralph Kundig, one of the lead campaigners, told the ATS news agency.
Projects to introduce versions of the initiative are underway in Finland and the Dutch city of Utrecht.
The Swiss have previously voted against mandates for a minimum wage and increased paid holidays from a minimum of four to six weeks.
Several other proposals tabled in Sunday’s referendum passed.
The government’s plan to speed up the country’s asylum process passed easily, with 66.8 percent voting in support. The Swiss will now aim to finalize claims within 140 days, compared to the current average of about 400 days.
An initiative also passed to allow embryos to be genetically tested before they are inserted into the uterus in cases of in vitro fertilization where one parent carries a serious hereditary disease.
