Blocher, arguably Switzerland’s most controversial politician of recent years, on Thursday announced he was standing for his rightwing People’s Party for a seat in October’s elections to both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Blocher said he considered his re-entry into the parliamentary arena – a rare occurrence in Swiss politics for a former cabinet member – as a crusade against efforts by other parties to seek Swiss membership of the European Union.
The People’s Party is hoping for major gains in the 46-strong Senate, where it is currently only the fourth-largest group. It holds nearly a third of all seats in the other parliamentary chamber, the House of Representatives.
Several other high-ranking People’s Party representatives have also announced they will enter the race for Senate seats in their cantons.
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Household names announce political aspirations
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While none is in the league of actors-turned- politicians Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, some are public figures who are already household names in Switzerland. “We don’t really have any stars, whatever the field,” political scientist William Ossipow told swissinfo.ch. “Firstly, we don’t like that, and then politics in this country doesn’t pay well and…
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Georg Lutz of Lausanne University told swissinfo.ch that the party is “setting the pace” and is ahead of all other parties. Unwelcome on Saturday in the city of Lausanne for security reasons, the People’s Party knew once again how to hit the headlines by holding a delegates’ conference in an open field in wintry conditions…
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Another thing that has stayed the same in the House of Representatives and the Senate is the small number of women. (All pictures: Keystone)
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.