SWITZERLAND: SWISS PEOPLE'S PARTY OPTIMISTIC AS VOTES COUNTED IN SWISS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Record ID: 328443

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: SWISS PEOPLE'S PARTY OPTIMISTIC AS VOTES COUNTED IN SWISS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
  • Date: 25th October 1999
  • Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (OCTOBER 24, 1999) (REUTERS) 1. GV: EXTERIOR BUILDING / BALLOT BOXES ARRIVING WITH POLICE ESCORT (3 SHOTS) 0.19 2. ELEVATED/GV: BALLOT BOXES HANDED IN (2 SHOTS) 0.27 3. GV/PAN/CU/SV: VARIOUS VOTES BEING COUNTED (4 SHOTS) 0.52 4. SV/GV: GENEVA MAYOR PIERRE MULLER (?) LOOKING AT COMPUTER SCREEN FOR UPDATE ON RESULTS / MULLER ALONG (2 SHOTS) 1.08 5. GV: BIG SCREEN SHOWING FIRST RESULTS COMING IN AS MEMBERS OF SWISS PEOPLE'S PARTY WATCH (4 SHOTS) 1.36 6. SV/PAN: MAN ALONG WITH MOBILE PHONE TO EAR 1.41 7. GV/PAN: SVP MEMBER JACQUES PAGAN 1.44 8. MV: SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH) PAGAN SAYING: At least SVP will win one seat on the national council in Geneva. In Switzerland results are not confirmed yet - but we can see that we have good result everywhere (REPORTER ASKS IF SVP SHOULD BE THE SECOND PARTY IN SWITZERLAND) I do not know yet. The SVP is not a right party as it is perceived abroad. 2.28 9. GV/TILT: SVP POSTER 2.40 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 9th November 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Reuters ID: LVAA6GL5UZZJRPP4MD283L0AY5Y
  • Story Text: A Swiss People's Party (SVP) representative said
    Sunday that the party was optimistic about its chances in
    parliamentary elections and confident that it had won a seat
    in Geneva.

    SVP founder member Jacques Pagan said that at least SVP
    will win one seat on the national council in Geneva but in the
    rest of Switzerland results were not yet confirmed.

    He said he did not know whether SVP would be the
    second party in the country as a result of the elections and
    absolutely denied that the party was a right-wing organisation
    which some believe is how it is perceived abroad.

    "That is ridiculous," he replied when the question was put.

    As Pagan spoke, election officials set about counting
    the votes at the headquarters of the Geneva Canton municipal
    building after what was being reported as a relatively low
    turnout.Ballot boxes had earlier arrived under armed escort.

    Early trends showed only around 40 percent of voters had
    turned out, down from some 42 percent four years ago.

    The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), whose
    representatives were watching the count on big-screen
    television, seemed set to make big gains in parliamentary
    elections on Sunday as early returns suggested it had scored
    well in the cantons of Geneva and Basle.Geneva Mayor Pierre
    Muller was also watching.

    Opinion polls had shown the populist SVP vaulting into
    second place behind the SP, but political analysts say the
    SVP's expected gains would probably not upset the grand
    coalition that has governed prosperous Switzerland for the
    past 40 years.

    Turnout was low, which could help the SVP capitalise on
    gains predicted by opinion polls, analysts say.

    The latest opinion polls showed the SVP winning 20
    percent of the vote compared to 14.9 percent in the 1995
    elections and overtaking the two centrist parties to close on
    the SP, which is forecast to get 23 percent against 21.8
    percent in 1995.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register