Swiss voters narrowly approved a referendum to impose strict quotas on immigration, effectively ending a "free movement" agreement with the European Union.
The measure passed by just 50.5 percent of the vote. Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, nonetheless has adopted many of the union's policies.
A coalition led by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) spearheaded the 'yes' vote.
The BBC reports that the referendum "has shown up traditional divisions, with French-speaking areas against the quotas, German-speaking regions divided, and the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino firmly in favour."
The British broadcaster says:
"The vote comes amid increasing debate across Europe about migration and the impact of free movement of people."
"Switzerland's economy is booming at the moment, and unemployment is low, but many Swiss worry about immigration."
"A quarter of the eight million-strong population is foreign, and last year 80,000 new immigrants arrived."
"Since 2007, most of the EU's 500 million residents have been on an equal footing with locals in the Swiss job market - the result of a policy voted into law in a 2000 referendum."