Switzerland seemed on course Sunday to reject proposals to cut carbon dioxide emissions and to make it the first European country to ban synthetic pesticides following a campaign that saw the idyllic image of peaceful Swiss Alpine pastures ruptured by fiery debates.
Polling stations closed at midday (1000 GMT) and projections by national broadcaster SRF showed 51 percent of voters had voted against the new CO2 law in a nationwide referendum conducted under the country's system of direct democracy. A final result is expected later in the day.
The new law would have seen measures such as increasing a surcharge on car fuel and imposing a levy on flight tickets as Switzerland seeks to cut its reduce carbon emissions to half of 1990 levels by 2030.
Opponents said the law would increase business costs and not help the environment as Switzerland is responsible for only 0.1% of global carbon emissions.
Market researchers GFS Bern projected that 61 percent of voters had followed the government's advice and said no to the publically proposed pesticide proposals.
No major country has so far banned man-made pesticides. Bhutan announced in 2012 that it wanted to become the first nation in the world to turn its home-grown food and farmers 100 percent organic.
Switzerland's national vote on two anti-pesticide proposals was the culmination of a campaign marked by heated arguments between farmers.
The campaign boiled over in the western Vaud region when arsonists torched a trailer in a field displaying banners calling for a "No" vote, triggering fury.
Meanwhile farmers in the "Yes" campaign say they have been the victims of insults, threats and intimidation.
The first popular initiative, entitled "For a Switzerland free from synthetic pesticides", called for a domestic ban within 10 years, and the outlawing of imported foodstuffs produced using such pesticides.
Under the second initiative, "For clean drinking water and healthy food", only farms that do not use pesticides and use antibiotics only to treat sick animals would be eligible for government subsidies.
The amount of liquid manure being used on fields, and thereby potentially entering the water system, would also be limited.
Environmentalists and the political left backed both the CO2 and pesticide initiatives.
The Swiss government called for a double "No" vote, arguing that the proposals would undermine national food sovereignty.
Meanwhile GFS Bern said 61 percent also seem set to have approved a Covid-19 law that would extend government powers to fight the pandemic and mitigate its consequences on society and the economy.
Poised to approve anti-terror plans
The pollsters also predicted that 57 percent had approved sweeping new police powers to combat terrorism.
The laws allow the police to take preventative action more easily when faced with a "potential terrorist".
If police believe that someone over the age of 12 is contemplating violent actions, the law allows them to conduct greater surveillance, limit their movements and oblige them to face questioning.
And with a court order, they can also place anyone over the age of 15 under house arrest for up to nine months.
The country has so far been spared the large-scale attacks seen in its European neighbours, but the authorities nonetheless insist the threat level is high.
The referendum results are expected to be known by the end of day.
Under Switzerland's direct democracy system, referendums and popular votes occur every few months at national, regional and local levels.
Any idea from the public can be put to a national vote as long as it gathers 100,000 signatures from the 8.6 million population.
Meanwhile, 50,000 signatures are needed to trigger a referendum on new laws agreed by parliament.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
