Right wing holds lead in the polls
The right-wing Swiss People's Party is maintaining a narrow lead over the other three main political parties, according to the latest poll for this year's general election.
With 25.3 per cent, the People’s Party is still slightly ahead of the centre-left Social Democrats.
Compared with the previous poll conducted in March, the popularity of the Social Democrats remains unchanged at 24.2 per cent.
The fourth poll, which was conducted by the Bern-based GfS institute, showed that the most Swiss believe the People’s Party offers the best solutions when it comes to their main concerns: unemployment, the economy and asylum policy.
The Radicals, who enjoyed a small rise in support in last month’s poll, have lost ground this time around and are now holding 19.2 per cent of the vote compared with 20.6 per cent in March.
The trend for the Christian Democrats continues to be a downward one as the centre-right party remains rooted to the bottom of the table, with 14.3 per cent of the votes – down from 15.1 per cent in March.
Competence
The poll also suggests that the public continues to see the Social Democrats as the most competent party when it comes to solving economic problems.
Economic concerns among the electorate helped the Radicals earlier in the year, but the latest poll indicates that the People’s Party has now overtaken the Radicals in this field for the first time ever.
The poll also shows that more people – 52 per cent – say they would vote than four years ago.
When it comes to job security, 19 per cent of Swiss are worried about losing their jobs, while five per cent are absolutely convinced that they will be made redundant in the near future.
Age groups
According to GfS, different age groups reflect different voting patterns. Among 18 to 30-year-olds, the focus is increasingly on foreign policy and they tend to vote for the Social Democratic Party.
Those falling into the 30-60 age bracket are more likely to vote for the Radicals or the Christian Democrats; while the older generation, who are more concerned about asylum policy and the health system, tend to vote for the Swiss People’s Party.
The poll, carried out on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, was based on telephone interviews with 2,015 people between March 31 and April 17.
swissinfo, Billi Bierling
The right-wing People’s Party remains the most popular party, with 25.3 per cent of the vote.
The popularity of the Social Democrats remains unchanged, with 24.2 per cent.
Compared with last month’s poll, the Radicals recorded a loss and are down to 19.2 per cent.
The Christian Democrats remain in last place, with 14.3 per cent.
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