Difference between revisions of "Swiss People's Party"
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==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
| − | * {{cite book |ref=harv |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wP7-a7NC0mkC&dq|title=The radical right in Switzerland: continuity and change, 1945-2000 |first=Damir |last=Skenderovic |year=2009 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-84545-580-4}} | + | *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wP7-a7NC0mkC&dq|title=The radical right in Switzerland: continuity and change, 1945-2000 |first=Damir |last=Skenderovic |year=2009 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-84545-580-4}} |
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 23:01, October 12, 2016
The Swiss People's Party or Democratic Union of the Centre (German: Schweizerische Volkspartei - SVP, French: Union Démocratique du Centre - UDC, Italian: Unione Democratica di Centro - UDC, Romansch: Partida Populara Svizra - PPS) was founded in 1971 by the merger of the Farmers, Artisans, and Citizens’ Party—generally known as the Agrarian Party—with the Democratic Party. It has pursued conservative social and economic policies, including lower taxes and reduced spending, as well as the protection of Swiss agriculture and industry. The party has also opposed Swiss membership in international bodies such as the United Nations, which Switzerland did not join until 2002.
Over the course of several recent elections, it has continually grown in power and (as of 2008) holds the most parliamentary seats of any party at the federal level. Its policies emphasize free market economics, low taxes, neutrality regarding foreign affairs, a tough stance on crime and a reduction of unwanted immigration. The party has enjoyed repeated success in mobilizing popular majorities for referenda and popular initiatives, often managing to set the political agenda against strong opposition from establishmnet elites.
Contents
History
Background
The SVP's history can be traced back to several farmers parties "in agrarian cantons of Protestant, German-speaking Switzerland" in the late 1910s.[1] These parties were first represented in the Federal Council in 1929, and these parties were united under one "'umbrella organization'" in 1936 at the creation of the Farmers, Artisians and Citizens Party (BGB).[2] The BGB was a generally conservative party,[3] but after the Second World War it participated in the postwar consensus politics of Switzerland.[4]
Modern history
The SVP was founded in 1971. It became more conservative in the 1980s and 1990s.
Growth
The SVP and its predecessors had "showed remarkable stability" in "electoral support" until the 1990s.[5]
After the 2003 election, after the SVP achieved another record victory, it received a second seat on the Federal Council with Christoph Blocher holding that seat. He was not re-elected in 2007 and was replaced by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Schlumpf and her colliege, Samuel Schmid, were politically moderate and were expelled by the party soon afterward,[6] forming the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP). Despite its name, it is not a real conservative party and supports socially liberals policies, as well as Swiss integration into the EU. Due to scandals, Schmid resigned and was replaced by conservative SVP-member Ueli Maurer in 2009,[7] and in 2015, the SVP regained its second seat after Schlumpf resigned due to a poor election result for her party and a record election result for the SVP.[8]
The SVP received 29.4 percent of the vote in the 2015 federal election and 65 seats in the 200-seat National Council, a record amount for the party.[9] No Swiss political party had exceeded the SVP's share of the vote in at least a century, and no party received more seats in the National Council since 1965, when the number of seats was established at 200.[9] In the same election, leftist parties lost a large number of seats.[9][10]
See also
References
- ↑ Skenderovic, pp. 124.
- ↑ Skenderovic, pp. 125.
- ↑ Skenderovic, pp. 125, 127.
- ↑ Skenderovic, pp. 126.
- ↑ Skenderovic, pp. 127.
- ↑ Far-right leaves Swiss government. BBC News. December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ↑ Swiss far-right win cabinet post. BBC News. December 10, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ↑ Mombelli, Armando (December 10, 2015). People’s Party gains second seat in cabinet. Swissinfo. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Anti-immigration party wins Swiss election in 'slide to the Right'. The Telegraph (originally by Reuters). October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ↑ Swiss Parliament Shifts To Right In Vote Dominated By Migrant Surge. Breitbart (by AFP). October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
Bibliography
Skenderovic, Damir (2009). The radical right in Switzerland: continuity and change, 1945-2000. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-84545-580-4.
