<p>Swiss voters seemed on course Sunday to narrowly back a ban on full facial coverings in public places, with most referendum ballots counted.</p>.<p>With results in from 22 of federal Switzerland's 26 cantons, 54 percent of voters were in favour of outlawing the burqa and the niqab.</p>.<p>In parallel votes, a free trade deal with Indonesia seemed set to be narrowly accepted, with 53 percent support from results so far, while 62 percent had voted against a plan for a state-backed electronic identity scheme.</p>.<p>The so-called anti-burqa vote comes after years of debate in Switzerland following similar bans in other European countries -- and in some Muslim-majority states -- despite women in Islamic full-face veils being an exceptionally rare sight in Swiss streets.</p>.<p>Even though the proposal 'Yes to a ban on full facial coverings' did not mention the burqa or the niqab -- which leaves only the eyes uncovered -- there was no doubt as to what the debate was about.</p>.<p>Campaign posters reading 'Stop radical Islam!' and 'Stop extremism!', featuring a woman in a black niqab, have been plastered around Swiss cities.</p>.<p>Rival posters read: <em>No to an absurd, useless and Islamophobic 'anti-burqa' law</em>.</p>.<p>The ban would mean that nobody could cover their face completely in public -- whether in shops or the open countryside. But there would be exceptions, including for places of worship.</p>.<p>A Yes vote risks "trivialising the xenophobic and racist atmosphere" towards Muslim women, Meriam Mastour, of the Purple Headscarves feminist group, told broadcaster RTS.</p>.<p>It is estimated that very few women wear the full veil in Switzerland, she stressed, and those that do tend to be converts and tourists.</p>.<p>A 2019 Federal Statistical Office survey found that 5.5 percent of the Swiss population were Muslims, mostly with roots in the former Yugoslavia.</p>.<p>"It's a huge relief," said Mohamed Hamdaoui, a regional lawmaker in the Bern canton and the founder of the 'A Face Discovered' campaign.</p>.<p>He called the vote "the opportunity to say stop to Islamism" and not "to Muslims, who obviously have their place in this country".</p>.<p>Within Europe, Switzerland's neighbours France and Austria have banned full face coverings, as have Belgium, Bulgaria and Denmark.</p>.<p>Several other European countries have bans for particular contexts, such as in schools and universities.</p>.<p>The Swiss government and parliament opposed a nationwide ban.</p>.<p>Their counter-proposal -- automatically triggered if the initiative was rejected -- would require people to show their faces to the authorities if necessary for identification, such as at borders.</p>.<p>Under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, any topic can be put to a national vote as long as it gathers 100,000 signatures in the wealthy country of 8.6 million people.</p>.<p>Such referendum votes take place every three months.</p>.<p>A 2009 vote that banned the construction of minaret towers on mosques sparked anger abroad.</p>.<p>In order to pass, initiatives must receive support from a majority of voters nationwide, and from a majority of federal Switzerland's 26 cantons, six of which count as half-cantons in votes.</p>.<p>Two other votes were held on Sunday.</p>.<p>One was on the free trade agreement struck between Switzerland and Indonesia.</p>.<p>Tariffs would be gradually removed from almost all of Switzerland's biggest exports to the world's fourth most populous country, while the Swiss would abolish duties on Indonesian industrial products.</p>.<p>Opponents to this measure are especially critical of Bern's move to reduce import duties on palm oil.</p>.<p>The other vote was on a government plan to introduce a federally recognised electronic identity that could be used for ordering goods and services online.</p>.<p>The idea is that the e-ID would be regulated by law, offering a degree of security and reliability when giving identity details on the internet. It could also be used to open a bank account or request an official document.</p>.<p>It was pushed to a popular vote by critics alarmed at the plan to rely on private firms for the IDs, giving them access to sensitive, private information.</p>
<p>Swiss voters seemed on course Sunday to narrowly back a ban on full facial coverings in public places, with most referendum ballots counted.</p>.<p>With results in from 22 of federal Switzerland's 26 cantons, 54 percent of voters were in favour of outlawing the burqa and the niqab.</p>.<p>In parallel votes, a free trade deal with Indonesia seemed set to be narrowly accepted, with 53 percent support from results so far, while 62 percent had voted against a plan for a state-backed electronic identity scheme.</p>.<p>The so-called anti-burqa vote comes after years of debate in Switzerland following similar bans in other European countries -- and in some Muslim-majority states -- despite women in Islamic full-face veils being an exceptionally rare sight in Swiss streets.</p>.<p>Even though the proposal 'Yes to a ban on full facial coverings' did not mention the burqa or the niqab -- which leaves only the eyes uncovered -- there was no doubt as to what the debate was about.</p>.<p>Campaign posters reading 'Stop radical Islam!' and 'Stop extremism!', featuring a woman in a black niqab, have been plastered around Swiss cities.</p>.<p>Rival posters read: <em>No to an absurd, useless and Islamophobic 'anti-burqa' law</em>.</p>.<p>The ban would mean that nobody could cover their face completely in public -- whether in shops or the open countryside. But there would be exceptions, including for places of worship.</p>.<p>A Yes vote risks "trivialising the xenophobic and racist atmosphere" towards Muslim women, Meriam Mastour, of the Purple Headscarves feminist group, told broadcaster RTS.</p>.<p>It is estimated that very few women wear the full veil in Switzerland, she stressed, and those that do tend to be converts and tourists.</p>.<p>A 2019 Federal Statistical Office survey found that 5.5 percent of the Swiss population were Muslims, mostly with roots in the former Yugoslavia.</p>.<p>"It's a huge relief," said Mohamed Hamdaoui, a regional lawmaker in the Bern canton and the founder of the 'A Face Discovered' campaign.</p>.<p>He called the vote "the opportunity to say stop to Islamism" and not "to Muslims, who obviously have their place in this country".</p>.<p>Within Europe, Switzerland's neighbours France and Austria have banned full face coverings, as have Belgium, Bulgaria and Denmark.</p>.<p>Several other European countries have bans for particular contexts, such as in schools and universities.</p>.<p>The Swiss government and parliament opposed a nationwide ban.</p>.<p>Their counter-proposal -- automatically triggered if the initiative was rejected -- would require people to show their faces to the authorities if necessary for identification, such as at borders.</p>.<p>Under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, any topic can be put to a national vote as long as it gathers 100,000 signatures in the wealthy country of 8.6 million people.</p>.<p>Such referendum votes take place every three months.</p>.<p>A 2009 vote that banned the construction of minaret towers on mosques sparked anger abroad.</p>.<p>In order to pass, initiatives must receive support from a majority of voters nationwide, and from a majority of federal Switzerland's 26 cantons, six of which count as half-cantons in votes.</p>.<p>Two other votes were held on Sunday.</p>.<p>One was on the free trade agreement struck between Switzerland and Indonesia.</p>.<p>Tariffs would be gradually removed from almost all of Switzerland's biggest exports to the world's fourth most populous country, while the Swiss would abolish duties on Indonesian industrial products.</p>.<p>Opponents to this measure are especially critical of Bern's move to reduce import duties on palm oil.</p>.<p>The other vote was on a government plan to introduce a federally recognised electronic identity that could be used for ordering goods and services online.</p>.<p>The idea is that the e-ID would be regulated by law, offering a degree of security and reliability when giving identity details on the internet. It could also be used to open a bank account or request an official document.</p>.<p>It was pushed to a popular vote by critics alarmed at the plan to rely on private firms for the IDs, giving them access to sensitive, private information.</p>