MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The citizens of Switzerland started to cast their votes earlier in the day on the nationwide referendum to decide among other issues whether foreign nationals who reside in the country should be automatically deported if found guilty of committing a crime, ranging from murder to speeding.
A poster of Swiss People's Party (SVP), demanding to vote for an initiative to deport criminal foreigners, is placed underneath another one against it at the central railway station in Zurich, Switzerland in this February 12, 2016 file photo
© REUTERS / Arnd Wiegmann/Files
The initiative was proposed by the anti-immigration Swiss People’s Party, currently having the most seats among all parties presented in the National Council taking into consideration the fact that foreigners constitute almost one-quarter of the country's population.
Over five million people are eligible to vote in Switzerland, while some two million foreigners living in the country cannot take part in the referendum.
