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Swiss Politics

Fear factor key to Rightwing success

This content was published on Oct 22, 2003 swissinfo spoke to Oscar Mazzoleni, author of a recent study on the People’s Party, about the reasons for its success. Mazzoleni says that the People’s Party is unique in Europe for having become more radical while also being a party in government. On Sunday, it polled nearly 27 per cent of the popular vote, winning…

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Swiss Politics

Rightwing cabinet minister stands firm

This content was published on Oct 22, 2003 Backed by his Bern powerbase, Schmid said he would not be pressured into standing down in the event of the party not gaining a second cabinet seat. Following Sunday’s resounding election victory, where it gained the largest share of the vote, the People’s Party laid claim to a second seat in the seven-member cabinet. And…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss rightwing pales alongside European extremes

This content was published on Oct 22, 2003 But political scientists say the People’s Party is a different animal. The foreign press have likened the People’s Party – which won the largest share of the popular vote on Sunday (26.6 per cent) – to movements led by France’s Jean-Marie Le Pen, Austria’s Jörg Haider, and the Netherlands’ Pim Fortuyn, who was murdered in…

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Swiss Politics

Rightwing power bid gathers momentum

This content was published on Oct 21, 2003 Such an eventuality is no longer ruled out by the media, following the resounding success of the Right in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The big losers on Sunday were the centre-right Christian Democrats, who are now under pressure to hand over one of their two cabinet seats to the People’s Party. The People’s Party, which has…

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Swiss Politics

Blocher divides Swiss politics

This content was published on Oct 21, 2003 But one of the biggest obstacles to the rightwing party’s cabinet bid is likely to be the controversial figure of Blocher himself. Whether they find him liberal and intelligent or crude and arrogant, the Swiss rarely seem to sit on the fence when it comes to Blocher. A member of parliament for almost 25 years,…

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Swiss Politics

Higher turnout boosts Rightwing gains

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 The survey by the GfS research institute also blamed the interior minister, Pascal Couchepin, for the Radical Party’s disappointing performance. Post-election analysis has found that the increase in health insurance premiums – announced ten days ago – and the way Couchepin delivered the news were the main reasons for the party’s poor results. The interior…

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Swiss Politics

Rightwing demand threatens consensus politics

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 But election analyst Claude Longchamp told swissinfo that the party had a right to a second seat and that the system should be able to deal with the change. The party won the largest share of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary elections and is now the strongest force in the House of Representatives. Shortly after…

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Swiss Politics

Rightwing extends reach into western Switzerland

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 The party won seven seats in the western part of the country – up from just two in the last election – bolstering its claims to be a truly national force. Yvan Perrin, the newly elected People’s Party representative in canton Neuchâtel, says Sunday’s election result shows the party has extended its sphere of influence.…

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Swiss Politics

Voters show Swiss abroad the red card

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 Their failure was shared by a number of prominent Swiss politicians who were also snubbed by voters. The Swiss abroad were unable to make inroads in the House of Representatives despite fielding a record 15 candidates. Efforts by the Swiss People’s Party to gain a seat in Basel Country for Rolf Schudel, a businessman from…

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Swiss Politics

Press predict end of “Magic Formula”

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 According to much of the press, the People’s Party has a legitimate right to seek a second cabinet seat. Under a power-sharing arrangement – known as the “Magic Formula” – in place since 1959, cabinet seats are shared out between Switzerland’s four main parties. The Christian Democratic, Social Democratic and Radical parties each have two…

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