Swiss voters reject citizenship reform

VOTERS in Switzerland - where more than one-in-five residents are foreigners - rejected proposals to liberalise tough rules on citizenship in a national referendum yesterday.

In an outcome revealing the deep divide between the country’s French-speaking and more conservative German regions, two government-backed plans failed to win support in a majority of the Alpine country’s 26 cantons, or states.

With the count completed in most cantons, 13 were against and six in favour.