From pygmy to giant in a decade

The People’s Party big breakthrough came after the 1992 vote on joining Europe Keystone

The rightwing Swiss People’s Party has become the biggest force in Swiss politics in just a decade.

Once a party of farmers, it has gone from being the smallest in government to the largest in just eight years.

The People’s Party first entered government in 1929, when its predecessor, the Party of Farmers, Tradesmen and Citizens secured one seat at the expense of the Radicals.

It remained the smallest of the four main political parties even after it merged with a number of smaller, regional parties to become the Swiss People’s Party in 1971.

But in successive elections in the 1990s it increased its share of the vote and in October it won 26.6 per cent of the popular vote to become the largest party in parliament with 63 seats.

Expense

The People’s Party’s rise has been largely at the expense of the centre-right Christian Democrats, who have been a major political force and part of the government for more than a century.

The Christian Democrats’ forerunner was the Catholic-Conservative Party, which in its heyday regularly won up to 23 per cent of the vote in nationwide elections, returning up to 66 parliamentarians.

In 1970, in an attempt to broaden its appeal beyond its Catholic strongholds, it changed its name and positioned itself firmly at the centre of the Swiss political spectrum.

The newly born Christian Democrats combined support for the economic policy of the centre-right Radicals with backing for the social policy of the centre-left Social Democrats.

But since the 1980s the party’s support has slumped with its share of the vote dipping below the 20 per cent mark in 1987, and in October’s election accounting for just 14.4 per cent.

Problems

Part of the explanation lies in the problems Switzerland has experienced in the past two decades, according to political analyst, Andreas Ladner.

Whereas the People’s Party and the centre-left Social Democrats have offered their own strategies for dealing with problems such as economic slumps, rising unemployment, and spiralling health care costs, the Christian Democrats – along with the centre-right Radicals – have been blamed for not trying to provide solutions.

Ladner says the party’s traditional base of support and its religious roots are unlikely to be enough to ensure it remains a political force on a national level to the same extent as in the past.

“The party has always done well in the cantons, but it is no longer a national force,” he said.

“It’s no longer a force in the important larger cantons and the cities which have biggest influence on public opinion and the way the media covers politics.”

Driving force

One of those cities, and Switzerland’s largest, is Zurich – the home base of Christoph Blocher, the driving force behind the Swiss People’s Party.

Because Blocher is a populist, seen by many as being largely responsible for the People’s Party’s rise in fortune, political analyst Hans Hirter says it could be in the interests of the two centre-right parties to have him in government.

“If he sticks to the principle of collective decision-making and consensus – as he has promised to do if elected – it could be a real chance for the Radicals and Christian Democrats to win back some of the support they’ve lost to the People’s Party,” he said.

“He will have to make compromises in government and take difficult and unpopular stands on some issues, and the centre-right parties believe that could help them in the long term.”

swissinfo, Jonathan Summerton

Key facts

Until the 1990s, the People’s Party was the smallest of the parties represented in government, with only 11 per cent of the vote.
In just eight years the People’s Party has gone from being the smallest to the largest of the four government parties in parliament.
In 1987 support for the Christian Democrats dipped below 20 per cent for the first time.
In October’s elections the Christian Democrats won just 14.4 per cent of the popular vote.