Blocher wins seat in cabinet
Christoph Blocher, populist figurehead of the rightwing Swiss People's Party, has won a seat in government. He took 121 votes in the third round and unseated the justice minister, Ruth Metzler. The decision paves the way for a change in a long-standing power-sharing agreement among the parties in government.
The People’s Party, which became the biggest group after October’s parliamentary elections, had threatened to go into opposition if Blocher was not elected.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.