Poll to decide if army draft is abolished

GENEVA: Swiss voters headed to the ballot box yesterday for a referendum on axeing the military draft, with the Alpine country expected to buck a European trend against conscription, given the army’s role in the national image.

Opinion polls ahead of the plebiscite showed around two-thirds of voters are likely to reject the proposal to scrap conscription spearheaded by pacifists and backed by left-wing parties.

Countries across Europe have ditched the draft in the two decades since the end of the Cold War, and campaigners say Switzerland should follow their lead.

But supporters of the status quo argue that other nations which axed conscription have struggled to fill their ranks since the military became just another career option, putting defence at risk.

Armed neutrality has been the bedrock of Switzerland’s defence policy for two centuries, with part-time soldiers keeping their arms at home, and also playing a major role in disaster relief or security.

Switzerland is ringed by friendly nations, but the pro-draft camp says a mass, part-time army is essential in a world of morphing threats — something the referendum campaigners reject.

‘‘Here in the middle of Europe, it’s not going to be in the next 15 or 20 years that we’ll be able to take the prospect of an invasion of Switzerland seriously,’’ said Tobias Schnebli of the anti-military group GSoA. ‘‘Compulsory military service is a tool created for wars of the past.’’

Supporters say the army is part and parcel of the country’s ‘‘militia’’ system — a label the Swiss use not only for the army but also to their part-time politicians and others involved in public service.

‘‘Abolishing military service would break the genuine link uniting the people and the army,’’ insisted Defence Minister Ueli Maurer.

On top of that, they point to the army’s role as a social and professional leveller, saying it helps bring the Swiss together in ways that are missing in more class-divided societies.