A shocking result

A shocking result

The opinion polls made the wrong call. Switzerland was widely expected to vote against a proposal to ban minarets - the federal government was against it, and was the business community. Companies warned of an international backlash if the proposed ban was approved.

So when Swiss television released the first exit polls suggesting that a majority of people supported the ban, there was an audible gasp from the locals watching it with us. No one could quite believe it. 

On Friday, the right wing People's Party, the group behind the controversial proposal, told me they didn't believe the opinion polls and were convinced they would win support for a ban. "It's closer than you think", they said. And they were right.

So what's allowed this piece of legislation, viewed by opponents as racist and hateful, to win the support for the Swiss people? One analyst told me she thought it was because people are worried about the growth of Islam in Europe. While Muslims in Switzerland are considered moderate, Sunday's referendum was a protest vote.

The government was asked to block the proposal, but they let it go forward for a vote. Now the proposal appears to be on the road to become law. Should that happen, it could be challenged in the European Court of Human Rights. What adherents of the ban hoped would be a short term argument could yet develop into a protracted battle for religious freedoms in this small European country.