The president of the Christian Democrats, Gerhard Pfister, has been a driving force in renaming the party.
Keystone/Ennio Leanza
One of the oldest Swiss political groups, the Christian Democratic Party, has officially been named the Centre after merging with Conservative Democratic Party.
Delegates of the Christian Democratic Party on Saturday overwhelmingly voted in favour of the merger.
The Conservative Democrats approved the project two weeks ago.
The move went ahead despite opposition by some cantonal chapters of the Christian Democrats which argued it was wrong to drop the reference to religion in its name.
The Christian Democrats traditionally have their roots in Catholic regions of the country.
Their predecessor party has been a major force after the foundation of modern Switzerland in the 19th century even though the Catholic Conservatives were defeated by the Radical and Liberal forces during the civil war in the 1840s.
The Christian DemocratsExternal link have been losing ground in Swiss politics over the past four decades, notably with the rise of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.
With a share of 11.4% of the vote in the 2019 elections to the House of Representatives, the Christian Democrats fell behind the Green Party and three other major groups.
But they still hold a majority of seats in the Senate and they are represented in most cantonal governments.
For their part, the Conservative DemocratsExternal link are split-off from the People’s Party but they have been struggling to survive at a national level after their only representative in the national government stepped down in 2015.
The current Swiss government is made up to two members each of the People’s Party, the left-wing Social Democratic Party and the centre-right Radical Party. The Christian Democrats hold one seat in the seven-member cabinet.
More
More
How Switzerland’s parliament has evolved over 50 years
This content was published on
A visual overview of how the political forces in the Swiss House of Representatives have shifted over the past half-century.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
AI can reduce the number of animals needed for research
This content was published on
Swiss researchers have developed a new, AI-supported method that analyses the behaviour of mice in the laboratory more efficiently.
Geneva Conventions conference on Middle East scheduled for March 2025
This content was published on
The conference on the Middle East of the 196 States party to the Geneva Conventions, organised by Switzerland, will take place in Geneva in March.
Swiss university graduates are popular hires worldwide
This content was published on
Graduates of Swiss universities are popular with international employers, according to the Global Employability University Rankings.
French cross-border workers in Switzerland fear ‘discriminatory’ unemployment reform
This content was published on
In the French region around Geneva, cross-border workers are protesting proposals to cut unemployment benefits for those working in Switzerland.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Christian Democrats mull eroding support and possible name change
This content was published on
During its most recent assembly of delegates in mid-February, Christian Democrat President Gerhard Pfister raised the age-old question of changing the party’s name. Some 80,000 party members will be consulted on the issue in April; at the same time a national survey is being launched to get a wider perspective on the party’s future. Party…
This content was published on
Switzerland's Liberal Green Party has not only seen gains in cantonal parliament elections, it also shows potential on a national level.
How Switzerland’s parliament has evolved over 50 years
This content was published on
A visual overview of how the political forces in the Swiss House of Representatives have shifted over the past half-century.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.