The populist Swiss right won clearly in this Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to lower house result forecasts, consolidating its position as the country’s leading political party with 28.9% of the vote. The Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which gained 3.3 percentage points, regained a good part of the support that it lost four years ago in the heat of the debate about the fight against climate change and which favored the green vote. The forecasts bring the ultranationalist right closer to its historic high in 2015, when it reached 29.4% due to the migration crisis. In this election campaign, too, he managed to mobilize voters with an anti-immigration message and launched a popular initiative in which he advocates for drastic measures to prevent the country’s population from increasing in 2050 shortly before – the 10 million population mark exceeds nine million, of which almost a quarter are foreigners.
The first national projection of the vote, prepared by the Gfs Bern Institute on behalf of the Swiss radio and television group SRF, leaves the Social Democrats of the SP in second place, which would rise slightly to 17.5%. The losers in these parliamentary elections are the Greens, who achieved their best result four years ago with 13.5%, which has now fallen to 9.2%, while the Green Liberals (GLP) are left behind with 0.6 points and fall back to 7.2 %. Although concern for the environment is still present among voters, it was surpassed in the elections by voters’ fears about immigration and asylum, as well as the overpopulation scenario of the populist right, which has been trying for years with various proposals to prevent the entry of foreigners- and free movement of people was agreed with the European Union in 2002.
According to the polling institute GFS Bern, the SVP has also received votes from people concerned about the economic slowdown and the rising cost of living. The rise in health care costs, the main concern of voters after the announcement of a sharp increase for the coming year, has fundamentally tilted the vote in favor of the Social Democrats.
Until the final result, third place will be contested by the Liberals (FDP) and the Center Party with around 14.6% each.
In the Swiss system, the election of a new parliament (200 seats in the lower house and 46 in the upper house) does not mean a change in the executive branch, a college of seven representatives that will be renewed or confirmed next December and follows a rule of distribution between the main parties established in 1959 founded. Initially, it was only adjusted in 2003 to give more weight to the ultranationalists in view of their electoral rise.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
Subscribe to