Swiss voters remain divided over arms export law change
Friday 23rd October 2026 on 06:31 in
Switzerland
A first poll for SRG shows 49 percent of Swiss voters would support changing the War Materiel Act, while 41 percent would oppose it and 10 percent remain undecided. SRF reported the findings from a survey conducted by GFS Bern, showing the outcome of the November 29 vote is still open.
Parliament approved the amendment in December 2025. It would allow certain Western partner countries to buy Swiss war materiel even when they are involved in an armed conflict. Buyers would also no longer have to guarantee in every case that they will not pass the equipment on to another country. The Federal Council could still require such a guarantee or block deliveries for foreign policy, neutrality or security reasons. The government says direct and indirect deliveries to Ukraine would remain prohibited.
Mostly left-wing parties and organisations launched a referendum against the change, putting it to a public vote. The Federal Council and Parliament recommend approval.
Support is strongest among people who back the FDP. Most supporters of the Centre, GLP and SVP also favour the amendment. By contrast, 63 percent of SP supporters and 62 percent of Green Party supporters oppose it. Older voters are more likely than younger ones to back the change.
The poll also points to differences between language regions. In German-speaking Switzerland, 53 percent intend to vote yes. In French-speaking Switzerland, 47 percent say they would vote no and 37 percent yes. The Italian-speaking region is evenly divided.
Arguments on both sides win majority support. Sixty-seven percent agree that approval would strengthen the competitiveness of Switzerland’s arms industry. Meanwhile, 68 percent fear Swiss weapons could more easily reach countries with systematic human rights violations. Views on neutrality are split: 47 percent say approval would put Switzerland’s neutrality’s credibility at risk, while the same share believe it would strengthen armed neutrality.
Corina Schena of GFS Bern said the SVP’s supporters narrowly agree that the change would endanger neutrality, despite the party’s support for it. She also pointed to turnout among age groups as a factor that could influence the result.
GFS Bern conducted the survey for SRG SSR from October 5 to 18, with a midpoint of October 11. It included responses from 14,874 eligible voters. The margin of error is 2.8 percentage points.