Switzerland: Victory of the Greens in the elections – ING

Charlotte de Montpellier, economist at ING, points out that Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Switzerland gave Green parties a big breakthrough, and they’re considered the winners.

Key Quotes

“First, the Green Party (left), obtained 17 additional deputies, with a total of 28 seats (13% of the votes) and they’re  now the fourth largest political force in Switzerland. The Green Liberal party (right) jumped to 16 seats with 9 deputies (8% of the vote). The campaign for these legislative elections has been largely marked by the issue of climate change. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s calls were particularly resonant in the country where many towns and cities have proclaimed a “climate emergency”. Tens of thousands of people have also participated in climate strikes.”

“The main political force remains the right-wing populists of the SVP, but they are weakened by losing 12 seats, from 30% of the vote in 2015 to 26% this year. We now need to wait until December 11 for the elected members of both Houses of Parliament to designate the seven ministers to the government.”

“Since the portfolios will be divided among the major parties on the basis of a political consensus, it is unclear whether the Green parties will have ministerial positions or not. Therefore, the impact of the election results on the policy pursued by the Federal Council should not be major.”