Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to end an accord with the EU allowing the free movement of people.
With all referendum votes counted, nearly 62% said they wanted to keep free movement, while 38% were against.
Switzerland
is not a member of the EU but has a series of interdependent treaties
with Brussels which allow it to access to Europe's free trade area.
The move to rein in immigration was proposed by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), but opposed by the government.
A
similar initiative to introduce quotas on immigrants from the EU to
Switzerland narrowly passed in a 2014 referendum, damaging Swiss-EU
relations.
Swiss
people are given a direct say in their own affairs under the country's
system of direct democracy. They are regularly invited to vote on
various issues in national or regional referendums.
Read more at:
Switzerland referendum: Voters reject end to free movement with EU - BBC News
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