Swiss politics swings right: Swiss voters have steered the country's politics a little towards the right-wing conservative side, bringing Switzerland's so-called 'magic formula' into the limelight.
| Auteur | Anderson, Robert (American businessman and engineer) |
| Fonction | Politics |
The autumn sun was shining not just over the Alps on October 19, but also on the conservative Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) that Sunday, which was marked by Switzerland's recent parliamentary elections.
Voters turned out to chose their top picks for members of the National Council, as well as Council of States in most cantons. Indeed, the results tell the real story: The SVP gained considerable ground, winning 11 more seats in the National Council and garnering 26.6 per cent of the overall vote. The Green party came in second, tallying 7.4 per cent of the total vote and picking up four more seats in the parliament. The Green party's success was attributable to greater concern over the environment. The big losers were the FDP and CVP, each losing seven seats and collecting 17.3 per cent and 14.4 per cent of the vote, respectively. With roughly 27 per cent of the vote, the SVP indeed turned in the best performance of any party in the parliamentary elections since 1943. On the other hand, the FDP and CVP had the worst showing since the introduction of the present proportional election system in 1919.
The Numbers
Overall voter turnout was up in 2003 (45.6 per cent) versus that in 1999 (43.4 per cent). The breakdown of the 47th Swiss National Council according to the main factions now looks as follows: the Free Democratic Party (FDP) with 36 members; the Social Democratic Party (SP) with 52 members; the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP) with 28; the conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) faction holding 55 seats, and the Green faction with a representation of 13 members. Newly elected members to the government body totaled 59, with 51 women now occupying a seat in the parliament.
The Implications
Essentially, the outcome of the 2003 Swiss parliamentary elections has brought the country's politics to an interesting crossroads: Will the upcoming Federal Council elections on December 10 see a shift in Switzerland's "magic formula"--a concoction calling for a seven-member executive branch, comprising two seats each for the four major political parties FDP, SP and CVP, with merely one for the SVP?
According to the election results, the SVP is now the strongest party in the National Council. SVP President Ueli Maurer even called the outcome a historical victory. Indeed, the conservative party has emerged as a formidable player, and may even evolve into an opposition party, in Swiss politics down the road. But, for now, the SVP is demanding a...
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