Swiss Party That Opposes Refugees Is Big Winner
The nationalist Swiss People’s Party, which attacked its coalition partners for welcoming Kosovo refugees and edging closer to the European Union, emerged as the big winner Sunday in Swiss parliamentary elections.
Initial television projections showed stunning gains for the People’s Party, which was likely to remain the junior partner in Switzerland’s governing coalition while winning 14 new seats in the 200-member lower house of parliament, for a total of 44.
The projections said the Social Democrats would lose five seats and end up with 49 lawmakers. The centrist Radical Democratic and Christian Democratic People’s parties were expected to hold 43 and 35 seats, respectively. Smaller parties would constitute the rest of the legislative body.
No big changes were expected for the upper house.
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