Lobbyists have closer relations with politicians on the right

A conversation in federal parliament last month © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

More than a third of the extra-parliamentary activities of Swiss federal parliamentarians are paid for by companies or associations.

Centre-right and right-wing politicians have significantly more paid mandates than their colleagues on the left, according to an analysis by Lobbywatch.

At the top of the ranking there is no difference between the right-wing Swiss People’s Party parliamentary group and the Centre parliamentary group, Lobbywatch said on MondayExternal link. Parliamentarians of both groups had almost every second mandate (47% and 46% respectively) paid for by a company or an association.

The centre-right Radical-Liberal Party parliamentary group was in third place, on 38%, followed by the centrist Liberal Green Party on 33%. Politicians from the left-wing Social Democratic Party and the Green Party were found to receive considerably less money from lobbyists (25% and 23% respectively).

Since the beginning of the current legislative term, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have had to declare which of their vested interests are paid for and which are voluntary. Lobbywatch has now analysed the data for the first time.