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Social Democrats fight for equal opportunities

The centre-left Social Democratic Party has called for the nationwide introduction of day-schools as part of its 2011 election platform.

A right to continuous training for all employees, extending health insurance and introducing a flexible retirement age between 62 and 65 are also listed as demands to improve social security and to further encourage equal opportunities.








“Our welfare policy aims to give people the means to change their lives and reach new goals,” said party president Christian Levrat.

He said the party’s achievements to set up social security institutions, including the old age pension scheme in the 20th century, also meant a responsibility to reform the system for the future.

Social issues are one of the priorities for the party ahead of October’s parliamentary elections.

The Social Democrats – the second biggest group in parliament behind the rightwing Swiss People’s Party – hope to increase their vote compared with 2007, but they set no target figure.

In the 2007 elections to the House of Representatives the Social Democrats won 19.5 per cent of the vote.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR