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Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland

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Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
  • Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei (German)
  • Parti démocrate-chrétien (French)
  • Partito Popolare Democratico (Italian)
  • Partida Cristiandemocratica (Romansh)
PresidentGerhard Pfister
Vice Presidents
General SecretaryGianna Luzio
Member in Federal CouncilViola Amherd
Founded22 April 1912
Dissolved31 December 2020
Merged intoThe Centre
HeadquartersHirschengraben 9
CH-3011 Bern
Youth wingYoung CVP
Membership (2015)100,000[1]
IdeologyChristian democracy
Political positionCentre to centre-right
European affiliationEuropean People's Party (associate)
International affiliationCentrist Democrat International
Colours  Orange

The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (German: Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz, CVP), also called the Christian Democratic Party (French: Parti démocrate-chrétien, PDC), Democratic People's Party (Italian: Partito Popolare Democratico, PPD) and Swiss Christian Democratic Party (Romansh: Partida cristiandemocratica Svizraⓘ, PCD), was a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland.[2][3] On 1 January 2021,[4] it merged with the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP/PBD) to form The Centre, which now operates at the federal level. The Christian Democratic People's Party will continue to exist at the cantonal level as individual local and regional parties determine their status. Its 28 seats in the National Council and 13 seats in the Council of States were transferred to the new party, as was its sole seat on the Federal Council, held by Viola Amherd.

The party was founded as the Catholic Conservative Party in 1912. It peaked in the 1950s, having three members of the Federal Council (1954–1958) before agreeing to the magic formula. It adopted its current name in 1970. From 1979 to 2003, the party's vote declined, mostly in the favour of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC); the party was reduced to one Federal Councillor at the 2003 Federal Council election.

The party sat in the centre[5][6][7] to centre-right[8][9] of the political spectrum, advocating Christian democracy,[10] the social market economy and moderate social conservatism. The party was strongest in Catholic rural areas, particularly Central Switzerland and Valais.

History

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The Catholic-Conservative Party of Switzerland (German: Katholisch-Konservative Partei der Schweiz) was founded in 1912. From 1919 on, the party occupied two out of the seven seats in the cabinet. Aided by the political climate of the postwar period, the party experienced its peak in the 1950s: It was represented by the biggest parliamentary delegation in the Federal Council, and from 1954 to 1958 the party occupied three out of seven seats in the cabinet. Nonetheless, the party had to relinquish the third seat in favor of the 'magic formula', which was introduced to the cabinet in 1959. In 1957 it changed its name to the Conservative-Christian-Social People's Party (German: Konservativ-Christlichsoziale Volkspartei) and to its current name in 1970. In the ensuing decades, the Catholic voter base dissolved somewhat. The reduction of the voter base, in addition to less cohesion among politicians in the party, led to six successive losses in federal elections after 1980.

The party lost its support over a number of years. Beginning in the 1990s, conservative voters from former strongholds of the CVP switched to vote for the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party. From the 1995 election to the 2019 election, the CVP's vote share decreased from 16.8% to 11.4%.[11] After the 2003 election, Ruth Metzler of the CVP, was replaced by Christoph Blocher of the Swiss People's Party on the Federal Council, leaving the CVP with only one seat in the country's executive.[12]

CVP President Gerhard Pfister and BDP President Martin Landolt, the leader of the Conservative Democratic Party, had ongoing discussions about a merger throughout 2020.[13][14] In 2020, Pfister announced that the national CVP would undergo a change in branding with a new name and logo as part of a merger with the BDP. The party proposed to change the name to "The Center" or "The Alliance of the Center" (German: Die Mitte, CVP; French: Le Centre, PDC; Italian: il Centro, PPD; Romansh: il Center) which is the name of the parliamentary group that the CVP shares with the other center-right parties, the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland and the Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland.[15] The merger was ratified by a vote of the entire party in November 2020.[16][17][18][19] Cantonal parties were not required to adopt the new name if they do not wish to do so.[11] Pfister estimated that a new center-right party could obtain up to 20% of the vote in future elections.[20]

Platform

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In its party platform, the CVP described itself as a centrist party. The CVP fostered a social market economy in which a balance is struck between economic liberalism and social justice. The expansion of the party in the Protestant-dominated cantons, in which the CVP uphold rather centrist policies, stands in contrast to the traditional role of the CVP as the leading party in rather Catholic-dominated cantons of central Switzerland and the cantons of Valais. There, the electorate was mostly socially conservative.

The CVP had three main policies in the political centre:[citation needed]

  • The CVP uphold the social market economy. It supports exporting industries and more spending on education, research and development. It also aims at combating the black market and tax evasion. In order to increase efficiency and incentives, the CVP calls for the reduction and streamlining of bureaucratic procedures and government agencies, low taxation for family enterprises and those who offer vocational education and internships. The CVP calls for equal wages and job opportunities for both men and women.
  • The CVP called for flexible working times, childcare and affordable housing.
  • The CVP aimed at ensuring social security. The CVP calls for reforms of the social security system, by raising taxes on demerit goods (e.g. tobacco taxes) to generate more revenues for the pension funds. The retirement age of 65 should also be upheld. The public health care system should be streamlined by a reduction of waiting times of medical procedures in order to ensure equitable services. The CVP also promotes workfare as the primary means to combat unemployment.
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Percentages of the CVP at district level in 2011
The Christian Democrats are the largest party in Catholic southern and central Switzerland, and are the largest party in seven cantonal legislatures (coloured orange above).
The CVP's positions in the Swiss political spectrum (2007). Positions of voters and of party elites (elected officials) are shown separately. Data from the 2007 general election.[21]

Following continuing losses in the federal parliamentary elections until 2003, in December 2003, the party lost one of its two seats in the four-party coalition government, the Swiss Federal Council, to the Swiss People's Party. The CVP holds roughly 12% of the popular vote.

After the national election in late 2003, it held 28 seats (out of 200) in the Swiss National Council (first chamber of the Swiss parliament); 15 (out of 46) in the Council of States (second chamber, and the largest party in this chamber) and 1 out of 7 seats in the Swiss Federal Council (executive body).

In 2005, it held 20.7% of the seats in the Swiss Cantonal governments and 16.7% in the Swiss Cantonal parliaments (index "BADAC", weighted with the population and number of seats). At the last legislative national elections, 22 October 2007, the party won 14.6% of the popular vote and 31 out of 200 seats in the National Council lower house.[22] This was a gain of 3 seats, ending the long-term decline of the party and it was the only one of the four largest parties besides the Swiss People's Party to gain votes and seats.

In the Federal Assembly, the CVP formerly sat in a bloc in the Christian Democrats/EPP/glp Group, along with the Evangelical People's Party and Green Liberal Party.[23]

Election results

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National Council

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Election Votes % Seats +/–
1914 71,668 21.1 (#2)
37 / 189
1917 84,784 16.4 (#3)
42 / 189
 Increase 5
1919 156,702 21.0 (#3)
41 / 189
 Decrease 1
1922 153,836 20.9 (#3)
44 / 198
 Increase 3
1925 155,467 20.9 (#3)
42 / 198
 Decrease 2
1928 172,516 21.4 (#3)
46 / 198
 Increase 4
1931 184,602 21.4 (#3)
44 / 187
 Decrease 2
1935 185,052 20.3 (#3)
42 / 187
 Decrease 2
1939 105,018 17.0 (#3)
43 / 187
 Decrease 1
1943 182,916 20.8 (#3)
43 / 194
 Steady
1947 203,202 21.2 (#3)
44 / 194
 Increase 1
1951 216,616 22.5 (#3)
48 / 196
 Increase 4
1955 226,122 23.2 (#3)
47 / 196
 Decrease 1
1959 229,088 23.3 (#3)
47 / 196
 Steady
1963 225,160 23.4 (#3)
48 / 200
 Increase 1
1967 219,184 22.1 (#3)
45 / 200
 Decrease 3
1971 407,225 20.4 (#3)
44 / 200
 Decrease 1
1975 407,286 21.1 (#3)
46 / 200
 Increase 2
1979 390,281 21.3 (#3)
44 / 200
 Decrease 2
1983 396,281 20.2 (#3)
42 / 200
 Decrease 2
1987 378,822 19.6 (#2)
42 / 200
 Steady
1991 367,928 18.0 (#3)
35 / 200
 Decrease 7
1995 319,972 16.8 (#3)
34 / 200
 Decrease 1
1999 309,118 15.8 (#4)
35 / 200
 Increase 1
2003 301,652 14.4 (#4)
28 / 200
 Decrease 7
2007 335,623 14.5 (#4)
31 / 200
 Increase 3
2011 300,544 12.3 (#4)
28 / 200
 Decrease 3
2015 293,653 11.6 (#4)
27 / 200
 Decrease 1
2019 275,842 11.4 (#5)
25 / 200
 Decrease 2

Party strength over time

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Canton 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
Percentage of the total vote for Christian Democratic People's Party in Federal Elections 1971–2019[24]
Switzerland 20.3 21.1 21.3 20.2 19.6 18.0 16.8 15.9 14.4 14.5 12.3 11.6 11.4
Zürich 9.5 9.4 9.7 9.1 7.1 5.9 4.9 5.1 5.4 7.6 5.0 4.2 4.4
Bern 5.3 5.3 2.5 2.1 2.4 2.6 1.8 2.4 2.3 4.7 2.1 1.8 1.9
Luzern 48.8 50.1 50.4 49.6 47.0 48.6 37.3 33.8 29.5 30.2 27.1 23.9 25.5
Uri *a 18.6 * * * * * * * * * 26.8 39.2
Schwyz 38.5 46.4 49.4 46.6 36.9 32.8 27.4 27.3 23.4 20.1 20.6 19.5 18.4
Obwalden 67.0 97.1 95.7 91.0 51.7 95.3 94.2 * 66.4 32.5 * * 36.7
Nidwalden 97.2 97.6 49.5 97.2 96.9 97.7 32.1 * * * * * 35.8
Glarus * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Zug * 39.4 34.1 39.9 34.2 34.2 27.1 26.4 22.9 23.3 24.3 26.4 23.8
Fribourg 41.5 46.9 39.9 37.9 37.7 36.8 36.0 33.7 25.4 24.8 20.3 22.7 17.8
Solothurn 27.7 26.0 27.6 26.7 25.1 22.2 21.5 21.4 21.0 20.4 17.9 14.8 14.2
Basel-Stadt 11.2 12.1 13.9 9.9 10.0 10.4 9.7 8.6 6.6 7.4 6.5 6.4 4.6
Basel-Landschaft 13.3 13.3 11.5 10.8 12.3 11.6 11.7 12.0 10.0 11.4 8.2 9.1 8.5
Schaffhausen 8.0 * * 6.3 * * * * 2.7 * 5.2 * 2.1
Appenzell A.Rh. * 14.1 * 14.5 * 16.7 9.5 * * * 10.6 * *
Appenzell I.Rh. 96.1 98.3 97.2 95.6 91.8 98.7 85.4 73.5 69.2 84.6 76.1 76.3 61.3
St. Gallen 44.0 43.3 44.1 40.8 39.4 35.8 31.0 26.2 22.2 21.4 20.3 16.6 18.8
Graubünden 37.3 35.9 35.5 33.3 28.5 25.6 26.9 25.6 23.7 20.3 16.6 16.8 16.3
Aargau 20.0 20.6 22.5 21.5 18.9 14.5 14.2 16.3 15.6 13.5 10.6 8.6 9.9
Thurgau 23.4 22.3 24.6 21.6 20.4 16.5 13.0 15.7 16.5 15.2 14.4 13.1 12.7
Ticino 34.8 35.7 34.1 34.0 38.2 26.9 28.4 25.9 24.6 24.1 20.0 20.1 18.2
Vaud 5.3 4.6 5.1 4.5 4.1 3.6 5.6 4.5 4.4 5.6 4.6 4.1 2.4
Valais 61.5 59.7 58.8 57.5 58.7 54.3 54.8 51.4 47.9 44.9 39.9 39.8 34.8
Neuchâtel * * * * * * * * * 3.3 3.5 3.6 4.2
Genève 13.8 14.7 14.0 12.3 14.6 14.5 13.4 14.1 11.8 9.7 9.8 12.1 7.7
Jura b b 37.7 25.1 33.0 36.0 38.2 39.2 39.5 25.0 33.2 27.6 22.8
1.^a A "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
2.^b Part of the Canton of Bern until 1979.

Leadership

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Presidents

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Name Dates Canton
Adalbert Wirz 1912–1917 Obwalden
Eugène Deschenaux 1917–1920 Fribourg
Joseph Räber 1920–1928 Schwyz
Ernest Perrier 1928–1932 Fribourg
Eduard Guntli 1932–1933 St. Gallen
Raymond Evéquoz 1934–1935 Valais
Emil Nietlispach 1935–1940 Aargau
Pierre Aeby 1940–1946 Fribourg
Josef Escher 1946–1950 Valais
Max Rohr 1950–1955 Aargau
Jean Bourgknecht 1956–1959 Fribourg
Ettore Tenchio 1960–1968 Ticino
Franz Josef Kurmann 1968–1973 Lucerne
Hans Wyer 1973–1984 Valais
Flavio Cotti 1984–1986 Ticino
Eva Segmüller 1986–1992 St. Gallen
Carlo Schmid-Sutter 1992–1994 Appenzell Innerrhoden
Anton Cottier 1994–1997 Fribourg
Adalbert Durrer 1997–2001 Obwalden
Philipp Stähelin 2001–2004 Thurgau
Doris Leuthard 2004–2006 Aargau
Christophe Darbellay 2006–2016 Valais
Gerhard Pfister 2016–2020 Zug
Source:[25]

Secretaries-General

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Name Dates
Iwan Rickenbacher 1988–1992
Raymond Loretan 1992–1997
Hilmar Gernet 1997–2001
Reto Nause 2001–2008
Tim Frey 2009–2012
Béatrice Wertli 2012–2018
Gianna Luzio 2018–2020

Notes and references

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  1. ^ The Swiss Confederation – A Brief Guide. Federal Chancellery. 2015. p. 19. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  2. ^ Philip Manow; Kees van Kersbergen (2009). Religion and the Western Welfare State—The Theoretical Context. Cambridge University Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-521-89791-4. Retrieved 2 August 2013. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Bale, Tim (2021). Riding the populist wave: Europe's mainstream right in crisis. Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-009-00686-6. OCLC 1256593260.
  4. ^ Europe Elects [@EuropeElects] (2 January 2021). "Switzerland: Yesterday, CVP (EPP) and BDP (*) merged" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Altermatt, Urs (2013). CVP: Von der katholischen Milieupartei zur Partei der bürgerlichen Mitte. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung. pp. 36–37. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Burlacu, Diana; Tóka, Gábor (2014). Policy-based Voting and the Type of Democracy. Oxford University Press. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Budge, Ian; Keman, Hans; McDonald, Michael D.; Pennings, Paul (2012). Organizing Democratic Choice: Party Representation Over Time. Oxford University Press. p. 134.
  8. ^ Damir Skenderovic (2009). The Radical Right in Switzerland: Continuity and Change, 1945-2000. Berghahn Books. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-84545-948-2. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  9. ^ Freedom House (1 December 2011). Freedom in the World 2011: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 649. ISBN 978-1-4422-0996-1.
  10. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Switzerland". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Die CVP soll neu "Die Mitte" heissen" (in German). SRF. 4 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Assemblée du PDC: «Le Centre peut atteindre 20% et se renforcer à l'exécutif en 2027»". Le Nouvelliste (in French). 5 September 2020.
  13. ^ "BDP will mit Statutenänderung Weg für Fusion ebnen" (in German). Nau.ch. 5 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Martin Landolt und Gerhard Pfister bereiten BDP-CVP-Fusion vor" (in German). Nau.ch. 28 May 2020.
  15. ^ "CVP soll neu "Die Mitte" heissen" (in German). Telebasel. 4 September 2020.
  16. ^ "CVP schliesst sich mit BDP zur "Die Mitte" zusammen". Swissinfo (in German). 28 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  17. ^ "BDP-Delegierte sagen Ja zum Zusammenschluss mit der CVP". Suedostschweiz (in German). 14 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  18. ^ "CVP und BDP sind ab 2021 «Die Mitte»". Schweizer Bauer (in German). 29 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  19. ^ Wientzek, Olaf (1 December 2020). "Historic day for Swiss Christian Democrats – Merger and Farewell to the "C"". Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  20. ^ ""Die Mitte": CVP präsentiert neuen Namen und Logo". Nau.ch (in German). 4 September 2020.
  21. ^ The data is based on research by Philipp Leimgruber (University of Bern), Dominik Hangartner (Washington University) and Lucas Leemann (Columbia University), as part of the University of Lausanne's Swiss Electoral Studies (Selects), http://www2.unil.ch/selects[permanent dead link], as published in Comparing Candidates and Citizens in the Ideological Space, Swiss Political Science Review 16(3) pp. 499-531(33). The graphical representation of the data is based on a graphic published in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung of 30 October 2010, p.13.
  22. ^ Nationalrat 2007
  23. ^ [1] Archived 3 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ Nationalratswahlen: Kantonale Parteistärke (Kanton = 100%) (Report). Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  25. ^ Urs Altermatt: Christian Democratic Party in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 13 March 2018.

Further reading

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  • Gees, Thomas (2004). Michael Gehler; Wolfram Kaiser (eds.). Successful as a 'Go Between': The Conservative People's Party in Switzerland. Routledge. pp. 33–46. ISBN 0-7146-5662-3. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Rölli-Alkemper, Lukas (2004). Wolfram Kaiser; Helmut Wohnout (eds.). Catholics between Emancipation and Integration: The Conservative People's Party in Switzerland. Routledge. pp. 53–64. ISBN 0-7146-5650-X. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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