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The Swiss elections of October 2003: two steps to system change?
- Article from:
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West European Politics
- Article date:
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May 1, 2004
- Author:
- Church, Clive H.
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2004 Frank Cass & Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As in 1999, the results of the Swiss elections came as something of a shock to the many observers who expected only limited changes (Church 2000). In fact the 2003 election produced two dramatic developments. On the one hand there was another exceptional surge by the right-wing Swiss Peoples' Party (SVP/UDC). This advance changed the balance of the political system. On the other hand, the temperature was further raised by the immediate and dramatic nomination of the SVP's key figure, Christoph Blocher, to be the party's second member of the seven-strong government. This was accompanied by the threat that, if refused, the party would withdraw from consensus government to go into ...