Swiss People’s Party
The rightwing Swiss People’s Party was formed in 1971 from a fusion of farmers’ and artisans’ parties. Since the beginning of the 1990s it has gained in strength, becoming the foremost party in parliament. Policies include less state intervention, limited cooperation with the European Union and an anti-foreigner stance. In 2003 it gained a second post in the seven-strong cabinet for its figurehead, Christoph Blocher.
More
Heard the one about the Swiss company installing laugh detectors?
More
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
More
Switzerland fined for denying asylum for gay Iranian
More
Voters could scupper Swiss motorway extension plans
More
Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
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.