Environmentalist Greens set for gains as Swiss elect parliament

Record ID: 1437739

  • Title: Environmentalist Greens set for gains as Swiss elect parliament
  • Date: 20th October 2019
  • Summary: BERN, SWITZERLAND (OCTOBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF PEOPLE VOTING DOCUMENT READING (German and French): "BALLOT BOX FOR OCTOBER 20, 2019 STATES COUNCIL ELECTIONS" MAN PUTTING BALLOT INTO BALLOT BOX (SOUNDBITE) (English) 28-YEAR-OLD BUSINESS ANALYST FROM BERN, MANUEL BUEHLER, SAYING: "The Green liberal party, I like them because they, for them the environment is very important and so I decided, 'ok, that is important for me as well,' and well, they have more or less my opinion. They are also liberal, so they try not to do so many laws and taxes and so on. So, they really try to do that and that is also, like, my opinion. We should not do, put too many taxes and too many laws and so on, but we have to do some, to put some laws so we can achieve our goal to reduce CO2 emissions and so on." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE VOTING, TALKING WITH POLLING STATION STAFF ENTRANCE OF POLLING STATION WITH SIGN READING (German): "POLLING STATION"
  • Embargoed: 3rd November 2019 10:36
  • Keywords: Swiss elections Switzerland greens environment Swiss greens elections voting
  • Location: BERN AND MELS, SWITZERLAND
  • City: BERN AND MELS, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA005B1WI69Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Swiss voters' concerns about climate change look set to give the environmentalist Greens strong gains in a parliamentary election on Sunday (October 20) that could dilute the centre-right's grip on power.
    A solid showing by the Greens could vault them and their allies into the mix for a seat in the grand coalition that has governed the conservative nation for decades. Changing just one member of the seven-seat cabinet would be a political sensation.
    A Sotomo poll this month for broadcaster SRF predicted the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), which won record seats in 2015 amid Europe's refugee crisis, would dip 2.1 points to 27.3% while the Green Party's share would rise more than 3 points to 10.7% of the vote.
    The smaller, more centrist Green Liberal Party (GLP) is expected to advance, bringing their combined strength to a theoretical 18% which would place them collectively third behind the SVP and the centre-left Socialists (SP), ahead of the centre-right Liberals (FDP), who all have two of the seats on the Federal Council that is Switzerland's government.
    Cabinet seats have been divvied up among the SVP, SP, FDP and Christian People's Party (CVP) in nearly the same way since 1959.
    The Greens' success could hit all major parties, including the SVP, whose President Albert Roesti has called climate change a "eco-socialist scam against the middle class."
    Green parties do not have a monopoly on ecological issues and many voters in the rural SVP heartland are loyal.
    Polls closed at midday (1000 GMT), with initial projections, including from the many postal votes, due soon thereafter.
    (Production: Marina Depetris, Cecile Mantovani, Louisa Naks)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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