(06/30/09) -

Peoples Party is Favourite in Switzerland

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is currently the most popular political organization in Switzerland, according to a poll by Isopublic. 23.1 per cent of respondents would vote for the conservative SVP in the next election to the National Council, down 1.1 points since October.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is currently the most popular political organization in Switzerland, according to a poll by Isopublic. 23.1 per cent of respondents would vote for the conservative SVP in the next election to the National Council, down 1.1 points since October.

The Social-Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS) is a close second with 21.2 per cent, followed by the Freethinking-Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) with 15.7 per cent, the Christian Democratic People’s Party (CVP) with 14.4 per cent, the Green Party of Switzerland (GPS) with 9.7 per cent, and the Civic Party of Switzerland (BPS) with 4.5 per cent.

Since 1959, Switzerland has formed its government under a power-sharing agreement known as the "Magic Formula." The country’s four major political parties are represented in the seven-post cabinet.

In October 2007, the SVP secured 62 seats in the Council—seven more than in 2003—followed by the SPS with 43 mandates, the FDP and the CVP with 31 seats each, and the GPS with 20 mandates.

The FDP’s Hans-Rudolf Merz is currently serving as president. The government has recently tabled plans to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT). On Jun. 25, a committee studying the measure, made mostly of SVP legislators, criticized the idea. SVP member Peter Spuhler declared: "An increase is poison for the purchasing power of consumers."

Polling Data

If the election to the National Council were next Sunday, which party would you vote for? (Likely voters)

Source: Isopublic
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,200 Swiss adults, conducted from Jun. 17 to Jun. 19, 2009. Margin of error is 3.2 per cent.