The Swiss National Council rejected an agreement with Mercosur (Southern Common Market, a South American trade bloc) amid opposition from both the right and the left of the political spectrum.
The agreement will now be put to a vote in the upper house and, if approved by that chamber, will likely return to the lower house.
Late last night, lawmakers voted down the agreement reached last year by a vote of 96 to 86, with 9 abstentions.
Opposition to the agreement came both from conservative lawmakers representing farmers’ interests, as well as from left-wing parties that raised concerns about issues such as labor practices and the destruction of tropical forests.
Mercosur includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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