Brussels, 10/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 9 June, almost 80% of Swiss voters gave their approval to a law that entered into force last autumn, which toughened up conditions for obtaining asylum. According to AFP, this law, approved by referendum, seeks to restrict family reunification. The referendum requesting revision of the law on asylum, was initiated by a committee, called “Stop Exclusion”, made up of opponents of the law. When the referendum result was announced, the committee denounced it as being an alarming development with regard to “the defence of fundamental rights” and regretted “the damaging and, in certain cases, disastrous consequences that this will have for asylum seekers and refugees”. Stop Exclusion warned that “as long as there are conflicts and crises and Switzerland is one of the safest and richest countries in the world, asylum will be on the agenda”. The political right wing welcomed the referendum result and asserted that 9 out of 10 asylum seekers in Switzerland did so for “economic reasons”. The law in question plans to remove desertion as a motive for being able to request asylum and ends the possibility of asylum seekers being able to demand asylum in a Swiss embassy abroad. It also limits family reunification to the spouse and children of the asylum seeker. There are currently 48,000 people engaged in procedures for seeking asylum in Switzerland, 28,681 of whom are new arrivals who registered in 2012. (SP/transl.fl)