Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland

Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
German name	Christlich Demokratische Volkspartei (CVP)
French name	Parti Démocrate-Chrétien Suisse (PDC)
Italian name	Partito Popolare Democratico Svizzero (PPD)
Romansh name	Partida Cristiandemocratica Svizra (PCD)
President	Christophe Darbellay
Members of the Swiss Federal Council	Doris Leuthard
Founded	1848
Headquarters	Klaraweg 6 CH-3001 Berne
Ideology	Christian democracy
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
European affiliation	European People's Party (EPP) (associated member)
Official colours	Orange
Website
www.cvp.ch
Politics of Switzerland Political parties Elections Swiss Federal Council Federal Chancellor Federal Assembly Council of States (members) National Council (members) Voting

The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (Also called Christian-Democratic Party; German: Christlich Demokratische Volkspartei (CVP), French: Parti Démocrate-Chrétien Suisse (PDC), Italian: Partito Popolare Democratico Svizzero (PPD), Romansh: Partida Cristiandemocratica Svizra (PCD)) is a centrist and Christian-democratic political party in Switzerland and the smallest member of the four-party coalition government. It is an associated member of the conservative European People's Party (EPP).

History

In 1912 the Catholic-Conservative Party of Switzerland (Katholisch-Konservative Partei der Schweiz) was founded. 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 national assembly, 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 (Konservativ-Christlichsoziale Volkspartei) and to its current name in 1970. In the ensuing decades, the party could largely keep its voter base, however, the dissolution of the Catholic voter base, which was once the unifying community of the party, presented the party with new problems. 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. Beginning in the 1990s, conservative voters from former strongholds of the CVP have switched to vote for the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party.

Party Platform

In its party plaform, the CVP describes itself as liberal-social (centrist). The CVP fosters a social market economy while trying to connect liberal principles with the enforcement of social justice. The expansion of the party in the Protestant-dominated cantons, in which the CVP upholds rather social democratic and socially liberal policies^{[citation needed]}, 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 and Ticino. There, the electorate is mostly socially conservative. Recently, the CVP has profited from declining support for the Free Democratic Party.^{[citation needed]}

Popular support

Following continuing losses in the federal parliamentary elections up to 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 15% of the popular vote.

In 2003, it held 28 mandates (out of 200) in the Swiss National Council (first chamber of the Swiss parliament); 15 (out of 46) in the second chamber (largest party in this chamber) and 1 out of 7 mandates 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 elections, 22 October 2007, the party won 14.6 % of the popular vote and 31 out of 200 seats.^[1]

In the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the CVP comprises the Group CVP/EVP/glp (Fraktion CVP/EVP/glp) along with the Evangelical People's Party and Green Liberal Party.^[2]

Presidents

• 1986-1992 Eva Segmüller, St. Gallen
• 1992-1994 Carlo Schmid, Appenzell Innerrhoden
• 1994-1997 Anton Cottier, Fribourg
• 1997-2001 Adalbert Durrer, Obwalden
• 2001-2004 Philipp Stähelin, Thurgau
• 2004-2006 Doris Leuthard, Aargau
• From 2006 Christophe Darbellay, Valais

References

1. ^ Nationalrat 2007
2. ^ http://www.parlament.ch/d/organe-mitglieder/bundesversammlung/fraktionen/fraktionen-48-legislatur/fraktion-ceg/Seiten/default.aspx

External links

• CVP (in German and French)

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