THEODORA PETER For the Swiss Greens and Green Liberals, 22 October 2023 was a day to forget. Four years after their unprecedented triumph at the ballot box, the environmental parties suffered losses in the National Council. The Greens dropped below the symbolic 10 per cent mark – from a record 13.5 percent to a 9.8 percent share of the vote. The party was still able to defend two thirds of the National Council seats that it won in 2019 – a small consolation. Nevertheless, the Greens were undoubtedly the losers of the election. The same applies to the Green Liberals (GLP), who also relinquished a third of their seats with a voting share of 7.6 percent. But the October sun shone on the SVP. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party increased its share of the vote from 25.6 to 27.9 percent, having been the big loser in the “climate elections” of 2019. Four years on and it has regained three quarters of its National Council losses of 2019 in one fell swoop. Minds go back to 2015, when the SVP celebrated its biggest-ever election victory with nearly 30 percent of the vote. Given the uncertain geopolitical situation and the rising influx of refugees, the party was able to campaign successfully on its anti-immigration platform. In the run-up to the elections, it launched a “sustainability initiative” aimed at limiting Switzerland’s population to 10 million. Switzerland shifts to the right The SP remained the second-strongest party with an 18.3 percent share of the vote – a 1.5 percent increase that reversed most of its previous election losses. But this did not offset the collapse of the Greens. Overall, the 2023 elections have weakened the left-green camp. In the forthcoming legislative period, the left-wing parties will have to rely even more on referendums and popular initiatives to push through their policies at the ballot box. As was previously the case, the SP and the Greens will have to make alliances in parliament – particularly with the Centre. The Centre – in the kingmaker role Founded in 2021 following the merger of the CVP and BDP, the Centre skilfully sold itself during the election campaign as the main centrist alternative to the Left and the Right. It will continue to play the kingmaker role in forging parliamentary majorities. Under its new name, the party improved slightly with a voting share of 14.1 percent – almost catching up with the FDP on 14.3 percent. With a loss of 0.8 percent, the FDP election performance was as underwhelming as it was four years ago. This gradual decline is hard to digest for the once proud FDP, one of the founding parties of the Swiss federal state. While the Swiss Evangelical People’s Party (EVP) suffered losses, other small parties gained ground. These inThe right-wing SVP focused on immigration to win the national elections as the green wave ebbed. The SP and the Centre also benefited from voter concern – over soaring healthcare costs. Swiss Review / December 2023 / No.6 4 Focus
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYwNzMx