Radical Party
The founding fathers of modern-day Switzerland in 1848 went on to form the Radical Party in 1894.
Up until 1943 the party held the majority in the seven-member cabinet and was the largest party in parliament until 1999. Since 1993, however, the centre-right Radicals have been steadily losing support, taking only 15.6 per cent of the vote in the 2007 elections.
It is the third largest group in the House of Representatives alongside the Christian Democratic Party and the second largest group in the Senate.
The Radical Party, which is traditionally perceived as close to the business community, has cooperated with the more conservative Liberals in parliament before they merged in 2008.
Founded: 1894
President: Fulvio Pelli, Member of the House of Representatives
Seats in the House of Representatives: 35
Seats in the Senate: 12
Cabinet Ministers: Pascal Couchepin and Hans-Rudolf Merz
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