The proposal by lawmaker Walter Wobmann of the populist right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) won 88 votes, with 87 against. Lawmakers will almost certainly defer action on the issue until the country weighs in through a referendum. An initiative has been launched to collect the 100,000 signatures needed to hold a public vote on a burqa ban.
Polls say Swiss voters overwhelmingly support a ban, but a vote could still be two years away.