Wednesday - October 17, 2007

Switzerland's Move to the Right

Der Spiegel has an interesting look at the politics of Switzerland and its conservative leader. The left must really hate him. He is nationalistic, a standard bearer of Swiss culture, and promotes free markets.

The Swiss will elect a new parliament next Sunday, Oct. 21. The election will mark the end of a campaign unprecedented in Switzerland -- it has been loud and spiteful, marred by demonstrations and brawls, not to mention a poster branded by the UN as racist. It has revolved around secret plans, plots and other conspiracies. And everything revolves around Christoph Blocher.

Whether one is for or against Blocher is the question that now divides Switzerland: Should he stay in the government after the elections? Or is the Swiss model finished, with its principle of a coalition of all major parties across the political spectrum?

Blocher's Swiss People's Party, the SVP, has plastered his face across the country, on posters that read, simply: "Vote SVP! Strengthen Blocher!"

Breakdown of parties in Swiss parliament. Click to enlarge.

Even his fiercest opponents, the Social Democrats, are obsessed with him. The cornerstone of their campaign for the past year has been to oust Blocher from office.

Violence broke out two weeks ago in Bern, the Swiss capital, when 500 left-wing activists attacked a demonstration staged by Blocher's SVP. Images of stone-throwers, water canons and burning barricades were broadcast around the world. The uproar even attracted the attention of Switzerland's neighbors, like Germany and France, who were so used to mild Swiss election campaigns that they might have been forgiven for thinking the Swiss had no election campaigns. Read more....

Author: The Machiavellian
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