Switzerland, Conservatives Win Elections

The elections that renewed the Parliament of the Confederation took place in Switzerland on Sunday, October 22.

The winner of the session was the centrist Democratic Union, a conservative party that confirmed polls that put it in the lead with 61 seats out of 200, up 8 from the previous legislature. The second place is taken by the Swiss Socialist Party (SDP) with 41 seats, followed by the Center Alliance and the Radical Liberals (FDP) with 29 and 28 seats respectively. The worst result was shown by the Greens with 23 seats (5 fewer) and another environmental group, but oriented towards the center-right, the Liberal Green Party, which also loses 6 seats.

The 52nd legislative body of the Swiss Confederation will be opened on December 4 by the President of the Center, Gerhard Pfister, Dean of the National Council.

The elections, according to reports from RSI (Italian-language Swiss broadcaster), mark a clear division between rural and urban electorates. The first was dominated by the SNP, the second by the Socialist Party. The SNP, a nationalist right-wing formation, won 29% of the vote, focusing on an anti-immigration and anti-EU campaign. The party’s idea of wanting to avoid exceeding 10 million inhabitants, a threshold estimated to be exceeded in 2035, has generated much debate. However, the more moderate forces (SDP, Center, FDP) have generally held their own, and it appears that no big changes are on the horizon for the future of the Swiss parliament. The system is actually proportional and does not provide for majority bonuses.