With more than 54% of the votes against, the Swiss rejected the proposal promoted by the right to limit the country's population to 10 million inhabitants. According to its promoters, the initiative was necessary to reduce pressure on transportation, housing and the environment, problems they attribute to increased immigration. However, critics charged that the proposal scapegoated immigrants for structural challenges. For their part, the leaders of the Swiss People's Party tried to give a positive reading to the result of the referendum.