(SEATTLE) – GENEVA — Switzerland on Sunday became the latest European country to ban the wearing of face coverings in public places, prohibiting the veils worn by Muslim women.
Official results of the nationwide referendum showed 51.2% of voters supported the ban on full facial coverings, which was proposed by the populist, anti-immigrant Swiss People’s Party (SVP), compared with 48.8% opposing it, a much narrower margin of victory than pollsters had initially predicted.
The initiative, started long before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, makes exceptions for facial coverings worn at religious sites and for security or health purposes.
The federal government had urged voters to reject the ban as tackling a problem that did not exist and arguing that it would damage tourism.
