Blocher becomes one of them

Either you like him or you don't Keystone

Since Christoph Blocher's party announced that he would run for a cabinet seat, opponents have been warning that he is too hardline and divisive to be a member of Switzerland's consensus government.

Parliament nevertheless elected him on Wednesday.

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, 63-year-old Blocher is used to dividing opinions over issues such as asylum seekers and Swiss membership to the European Union.

His bid for a seat in government has dominated the headlines since his party’s strong showing in October 19’s parliamentary elections. His opponents warned that he would be incapable of working within Switzerland’s consensus system of government because of his hardline stance on so many issues.

Personal fortune

As well as heading the party’s Zurich branch, the billionaire industrialist has also poured some of his own personal fortune into political causes close to his heart, such as winning over dissatisfied voters in western Switzerland.

“He’s very intelligent, though he is sometimes very crude,” Fredy Gsteiger, the author of a recent book on Blocher, explained.

“In private he can be a very good debater and listener. But as soon as he’s in the public arena, he goes on the offensive.”

But Aliki Panayides, the People’s Party deputy general secretary, deflects criticism of Blocher’s political style by suggesting that rival parties are simply jealous of his success.

“Of course he likes to provoke, which is very unusual [in Swiss politics],” Panayides told swissinfo. “But it’s very difficult for other parties which don’t have [such figureheads].”

Race issues

International observers are more obsessed with Blocher’s stance on the issue of race and his repeated attacks on those immigrants and asylum seekers who “abuse” the system.

But Clive Church, an expert on Swiss politics at the University of Kent, warns that Blocher should not be compared to the Austrian rightwing hardliner, Jörg Haider.

“It’s not right to start talking about Alpine fascism and equating Blocher with Haider,” Church told swissinfo.

“Although he and his party are anti-European, Blocher basically stands for the defence of the traditional Swiss system.”

Blocher fought against Swiss membership to the European Economic Area and the United Nations, and he is a passionate advocate of Swiss neutrality.

Compromise

Now that Blocher will join the cabinet, concerns are focused on how he will get along with government colleagues from other political parties.

“He probably could be domesticated,” says Church.

“But even though he says he’s willing to compromise, I would imagine he’d find it very difficult, particularly dealing with the [centre-left] Social Democrats.

“He also probably doesn’t understand exactly what the limits are of being a government minister or a diplomat in the international community.”

When swissinfo asked Blocher how he would cope in a consensus system of government, his response was immediate: “I’ve been married for 30 years so I know all about making compromises!”

swissinfo, Vanessa Mock and Mark Ledsom

In brief

In October’s parliamentary election, the People’s Party won 55 out of 200 seats in the House of Representatives, making it the largest party.

It immediately demanded a second cabinet seat for Christoph Blocher, threatening to pull out of Switzerland’s power-sharing government if he was not elected.

Wednesday’s vote means Blocher’s party gains a second cabinet seat at the expense of the Christian Democrats.

Key facts

Christoph Blocher, the son of a Protestant clergyman, was born in Schaffhausen in 1940.
He owns a 50.1% stake in the chemical group, EMS Chemie.
He became a parliamentarian in 1979.