Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz Parti socialiste suisse Partito Socialista Svizzero Partida Socialdemocrata da la Svizra | ||
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National Council 41 / 200 | ||
Cantonal executives | 28 / 154 | |
Cantonal legislatures | 459 / 2,609 | |
Website | ||
sp-ps sp-ps ps-ticino | ||
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (German: Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz; SP; Romansh: Partida Socialdemocrata da la Svizra), or Swiss Socialist Party (French: Parti socialiste suisse, Italian: Partito Socialista Svizzero; PS), is a political party in Switzerland. The SP has had two representatives on the Federal Council since 1960 and received the second-highest number of votes in the 2019 Swiss federal election.
The SP was founded on 21 October 1888 and is currently the second-largest of the four leading coalition political parties in Switzerland. It is the only[11] left-leaning party with representatives on the Federal Council, currently Élisabeth Baume-Schneider and Beat Jans. As of January 2024, the SP is the second-largest political party in the Federal Assembly.
Amongst all
History
Before the establishment of the national SP, there were various 19th-century
Two years after the party's foundation,
The party's historical archives are hosted today by the Swiss Social Archives which was in 1906 by Paul Pflüger. At a 1912 party conference in Neuenburg, the question of women's suffrage was debated for the first time. The SP accepted a proposal which committed the party to take any opportunity to "agitate for the introduction of women's suffrage."
Interwar period
Although Switzerland remained
With the third party platform, which was adopted in 1920, disagreement within the party grew ever greater. In particular the fact that the platform called for the foundation of a
With increasing power in parliament, the party now also demanded membership of the government, but their candidate in 1929 was not elected to the Federal Council. On the other hand, the party managed to enter the executive at a cantonal level in 1933. Geneva was the first canton to have a socialist government, with Léon Nicole as president. In the fourth party platform, promulgated in 1935, the SP rejected the idea of the dictatorship of the proletariat, but supporting the creation of a socialist society on "free and consensual foundations" remained the party's goal.
In government
In the 1943 Swiss federal election, the SP achieved the greatest electoral success in its history and became the largest parliamentary group. Ernst Nobs was the first member of SP to be elected to the Federal Council. With introduction of the Old-age and survivors' insurance , a further demand dating back to the time of the Landesstreik was achieved. After the failure of an SP referendum on economic reforms in 1953, the SP member of the Federal Council, Max Weber and the General secretary David Farbstein resigned. The SP remained in opposition until the introduction of the "Magic formula" in 1959, which gave it two seats on the Federal Council. Since that time the SP has been a member of the grand coalition which governs Switzerland.[14] In 1959, the fifth party platform was also agreed in which the party committed itself to reformist socialism on "democratic foundations".
In the 1970s and 1980s, the SP gained new followers from the new social movements that arose from the protests of 1968, but lost part of their traditional voter base in the working class. This change led to fierce internal disputes and led to a decline in electoral success. After serious losses in the 1987 Swiss federal election, the SP was only the third-largest party in the National Council. This resulted in the foundation of a breakaway Democratic-Social Party, which was not a success.
The sixth party platform was promulgated in 1982. This presented the party as a modern people's party that supported democratic socialism and had social justice as its highest goal. In 1983, the SP nominated Lilian Uchtenhagen as their candidate for the Federal Council, the first time that a woman had been a candidate. The parliamentary majority elected Otto Stich instead. Part of the party demanded that the SP withdraw from the governing coalition as a result of this, but this was rejected by a party conference. Ten years later in March 1993, Ruth Dreifuss was elected as the first SD woman to serve in the Federal Council. On that occasion too, the United Federal Assembly did not choose the official candidate of the SP (Christiane Brunner), but the unofficial candidate Dreifuss (the Brunner-Effekt ).
In 1990, the SP party conference accepted Switzerland's accession to the
In June 1997, the party conference chose Zurich city councillor, Ursula Koch as party president (the first woman to hold the role), rather than the favourite Andrea Hämmerle . In the 1999 Swiss federal election, Koch was also elected to the Federal Council. She resigned as party president and Federal councillor in 2000, due to internal party pressure. Her successor was Christiane Brunner, who led the party until 2004.
In the 2007 Swiss federal election, the SP suffered massive losses, falling to 19.5% of the vote, with only 43 seats in the National Council. In the following federal elections (2011 and 2015), their electoral support remained at the same level. In the Council of States, where the SP traditionally have had only a few seats, the party was able to increase its representation over the 2000s and now hold 12 out of 46 seats. In 2017, the party withdrew from the Socialist International and joined the Progressive Alliance. After losing a large vote share in the 2019 elections to the green party the SP regained some of its 2019 losses in the most recent 2023 elections and currently holds 41 seats on the National Council obtaining 18.27% of the vote.
Structure
The SP is composed of around 900 sections across Switzerland, which exists at cantonal and municipal levels. Each of the 32,000 party members are registered in a local section and thus are members of both the cantonal and national parties. Local sections elect delegates to attend the regular party members' conferences; these delegates are entitled to vote in cantonal party conferences.
Each of the 26 cantonal sections (
The SP has a youth party called the Young Socialists Switzerland (JUSO/JS). The JS are independent of the SP in political terms but are supported by it financially and institutionally. Within the SP, the JS are seen as equivalent to a cantonal section and so they are entitled to send some delegates to party conferences. As of 2022, the president of the JS is Nicola Siegrist.[16] There is also a separate, smaller SP youth party called Junge SP in the Olten region.
Ideology
The SP supports classical
In economic, financial, and social
In social policy, the SP is committed to social equity and an
In foreign policy, the SP promotes further participation by Switzerland in international organizations. It supports immediate entry of Switzerland into the
The SP has common
Electoral performance
In 2003, the party held 52 mandates out of 200 in the
National Council
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1890 | N/A | 3.6 (#5) | 1 / 147
|
1 | 5th |
1893 | N/A | 5.9 (#5) | 1 / 147
|
5th | |
1896 | 25,304 | 6.8 (#4) | 2 / 147
|
1 | 4th |
1899 | 35,488 | 9.6 (#4) | 4 / 147
|
2 | 4th |
1902 | 51,338 | 12.6 (#3) | 7 / 167
|
3 | 4th |
1905 | 60,308 | 14.7 (#3) | 2 / 167
|
5 | 5th |
1908 | 70,003 | 17.6 (#3) | 7 / 167
|
5 | 4th |
1911 | 80,050 | 20.0 (#2) | 15 / 189
|
8 | 3rd |
1914 | 34,204 | 10.1 (#3) | 19 / 189
|
3 | 3rd |
1917 | 158,450 | 30.8 (#2) | 20 / 189
|
2 | 3rd |
1919 | 175,292 | 23.5 (#2) | 41 / 189
|
21 | 2nd |
1922 | 170,974 | 23.3 (#2) | 43 / 198
|
2 | 3rd |
1925 | 192,208 | 25.8 (#2) | 49 / 198
|
6 | 2nd |
1928 | 220,141 | 27.4 (#1) | 50 / 198
|
1 | 2nd |
1931 | 247,946 | 28.7 (#1) | 49 / 187
|
1 | 2nd |
1935 | 255,843 | 28.0 (#1) | 50 / 187
|
1 | 1st |
1939 | 160,377 | 25.9 (#1) | 45 / 187
|
5 | 2nd |
1943 | 251,576 | 28.6 (#1) | 56 / 194
|
11 | 1st |
1947 | 251,625 | 26.2 (#1) | 48 / 194
|
8 | 2nd |
1951 | 249,857 | 26.0 (#1) | 49 / 196
|
1 | 2nd |
1955 | 263,664 | 27.0 (#1) | 53 / 196
|
4 | 1st |
1959 | 259,139 | 26.4 (#1) | 51 / 196
|
2 | 1st [a] |
1963 | 256,063 | 26.6 (#1) | 53 / 200
|
2 | 1st |
1967 | 233,873 | 23.5 (#1) | 50 / 200
|
3 | 1st |
1971[19] | 452,195 | 22.9 (#1) | 46 / 200
|
4 | 2nd |
1975[19] | 477,125 | 24.9 (#1) | 55 / 200
|
9 | 2nd |
1979[19] | 443,794 | 24.4 (#1) | 51 / 200
|
4 | 2nd [a] |
1983[19] | 444,365 | 22.8 (#2) | 47 / 200
|
4 | 2nd |
1987[19] | 353,334 | 18.4 (#3) | 41 / 200
|
6 | 3rd |
1991[19] | 373,664 | 18.5 (#2) | 41 / 200
|
0 | 2nd |
1995[19] | 410,136 | 21.8 (#1) | 54 / 200
|
13 | 2nd |
1999[19] | 438,555 | 22.5 (#2) | 51 / 200
|
3 | 2nd |
2003[19] | 490,392 | 23.3 (#2) | 52 / 200
|
1 | 2nd |
2007[19] | 450,308 | 19.5 (#2) | 43 / 200
|
9 | 2nd |
2011[19] | 451,236 | 18.7 (#2) | 46 / 200
|
3 | 2nd |
2015[18] | 475,071 | 18.8 (#2) | 43 / 200
|
3 | 2nd |
2019 | 408,128 | 16.8 (#2) | 39 / 200
|
4 | 2nd |
2023 | 466,714 | 18.3 (#2) | 41 / 200
|
2 | 2nd |
- ^ a b Tied with the Free Democratic Party.
Party strength over time
Canton | 1971 | 1975 | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1995 | 1999 | 2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Switzerland | 22.9 | 24.9 | 24.4 | 22.8 | 18.4 | 18.5 | 21.8 | 22.5 | 23.3 | 19.5 | 18.7 | 18.8 | 16.8 |
Zürich | 20.9 | 23.9 | 26.5 | 23.0 | 17.4 | 18.8 | 23.1 | 25.6 | 25.7 | 19.8 | 19.3 | 21.4 | 17.3 |
Bern | 31.0 | 31.0 | 30.5 | 28.3 | 22.3 | 20.0 | 24.7 | 27.6 | 27.9 | 21.2 | 19.3 | 19.7 | 16.8 |
Luzern | 12.4 | 13.4 | 12.5 | 11.8 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.7 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 13.6 | 13.5 |
Uri | *a | * | 23.0 | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 21.5 | * | 22.3 |
Schwyz | 29.0 | 29.3 | 22.6 | 21.0 | 14.3 | 19.4 | 19.9 | 16.4 | 17.6 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 13.1 | 13.8 |
Obwalden | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 11.6 | * | * | 2.9 |
Nidwalden | * | * | 10.6 | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * |
Glarus | 57.2 | 64.7 | * | * | * | 53.7 | 83.9 | 85.7 | 67.1 | 55.5 | 24.6 | 45.0 | 28.2 |
Zug | * | 35.7 | 30.9 | 22.8 | 22.6 | 16.1 | 17.0 | 23.3 | 13.4 | 9.1 | 5.3 | 13.8 | 9.3 |
Fribourg | 19.9 | 25.7 | 30.7 | 24.0 | 22.2 | 18.6 | 17.3 | 20.3 | 21.5 | 22.7 | 26.7 | 24.2 | 21.2 |
Solothurn | 26.3 | 31.4 | 28.4 | 27.8 | 22.3 | 19.8 | 24.2 | 27.2 | 25.4 | 19.5 | 18.3 | 20.0 | 18.4 |
Basel-Stadt | 30.4 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 31.0 | 25.9 | 25.3 | 35.5 | 33.3 | 40.9 | 35.2 | 29.1 | 33.3 | 32.7 |
Basel-Landschaft | 28.2 | 30.3 | 31.4 | 32.5 | 22.8 | 24.4 | 25.3 | 23.3 | 24.7 | 25.2 | 24.4 | 22.2 | 21.8 |
Schaffhausen | 40.2 | 37.2 | 35.3 | 35.4 | 39.2 | 34.2 | 37.8 | 33.6 | 39.7 | 34.2 | 34.6 | 28.8 | 26.2 |
Appenzell A.Rh. | 37.4 | 40.1 | * | 23.6 | * | * | 21.9 | 29.6 | 19.9 | * | * | 28.6 | * |
Appenzell I.Rh. | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 20.3 | 18.1 | 8.7 |
St. Gallen | 14.6 | 15.1 | 18.0 | 16.3 | 11.4 | 13.1 | 16.2 | 17.1 | 18.4 | 14.7 | 16.7 | 14.2 | 12.7 |
Graubünden | 13.9 | 15.2 | 20.5 | 24.6 | 19.5 | 21.2 | 21.6 | 26.6 | 24.9 | 23.7 | 15.6 | 17.6 | 17.1 |
Aargau | 23.9 | 24.2 | 27.6 | 27.5 | 18.5 | 17.4 | 19.4 | 18.7 | 21.2 | 17.9 | 18.0 | 16.1 | 16.5 |
Thurgau | 20.7 | 21.6 | 22.4 | 19.5 | 13.4 | 15.1 | 18.1 | 16.1 | 14.1 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 12.7 | 12.6 |
Ticino | 13.1 | 13.9 | 15.2 | 13.8 | 9.3 | 6.7 | 17.1 | 18.8 | 25.8 | 18.1 | 16.6 | 15.9 | 14.1 |
Vaud | 25.0 | 27.6 | 24.9 | 21.9 | 22.5 | 22.9 | 22.7 | 22.4 | 21.7 | 22.0 | 25.2 | 22.2 | 20.4 |
Valais | 15.4 | 17.4 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 16.6 | 16.9 | 19.1 | 14.7 | 14.6 | 13.3 | 15.1 |
Neuchâtel | 30.6 | 38.9 | 37.4 | 33.1 | 30.8 | 29.8 | 28.2 | 28.0 | 29.2 | 25.9 | 24.7 | 23.7 | 16.6 |
Genève | 19.1 | 22.6 | 21.5 | 19.2 | 18.6 | 26.4 | 30.0 | 20.0 | 24.8 | 19.1 | 19.1 | 19.9 | 14.7 |
Jura | b | b | * | 17.8 | 25.5 | 28.8 | 32.4 | 34.2 | 34.2 | 36.9 | 30.8 | 23.7 | 27.0 |
- 1.^a * indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
- 2.^b It was part of the Canton of Bern until 1979.
Presidents
1888–1889 | Alexander Reichel |
1890–1891 | Albert Steck |
1892–1894 | Eugen Wullschleger |
1894–1896 | Wilhelm Fürholz |
1897 | Karl Zgraggen |
1898 | Paul Brandt |
1898–1901 | Otto Lang |
1901–1902 | Joseph Albisser |
1902–1908 | Gottfried Reimann |
1909–1910 | Eduard Kessler |
1911 | Hans Näher |
1912–1916 | Fritz Studer |
1916–1917 | Emil Klöti |
1918 | Jakob Gschwend |
1919 | Gustav Müller |
1919–1936 | Ernst Reinhard |
1937–1952 | Hans Oprecht |
1953–1962 | Walther Bringolf |
1962–1970 | Fritz Grütter |
1970–1974 | Arthur Schmid |
1974–1990 | Helmut Hubacher |
1990–1997 | Peter Bodenmann |
1997–2000 | Ursula Koch |
2000–2004 | Christiane Brunner |
2004–2008 | Hans-Jürg Fehr |
2008–2020 | Christian Levrat |
2020—present | Cédric Wermuth Mattea Meyer |
Members of the Federal Council
1943–1951 | Ernst Nobs |
1951–1953 | Max Weber |
1959–1969 | Willy Spühler |
1959–1973 | Hans-Peter Tschudi |
1969–1977 | Pierre Graber |
1973–1983 | Willy Ritschard
|
1977–1987 | Pierre Aubert |
1987–1993 | René Felber |
1983–1995 | Otto Stich |
1993–2002 | Ruth Dreifuss |
1995–2010 | Moritz Leuenberger |
2003–2011 | Micheline Calmy-Rey |
2010–2022 | Simonetta Sommaruga |
2011–2023 | Alain Berset |
2023–present | Élisabeth Baume-Schneider[21] |
2024–present | Beat Jans |
References
- ^ The Swiss Confederation — A Brief Guide. Federal Chancellery. 2015. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Switzerland". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Switzerland—Political Parties". European Election Database (EED). Norwegian Centre for Research Data. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Überwindung des Kapitalismus bleibt SP-Fernziel" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ a b "SP will die "Überwindung des Kapitalismus" konkretisieren" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "Social Democratic Party of Switzerland | political party, Switzerland".
- ^ "European Election Database (EED)".
- ISBN 9789052015767.
- Ladner, Andreas (2013). Die Positionierung der Schweizer Parteien im internationalen Vergleich. NZZ Libro. p. 213.
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ignored (help) - Intelligence Unit, The Economist (2015). Switzerland--Country Overview. The Economist. p. 1.
- Federal Chancellery, Communication Support (2016). The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide (PDF). Switzerland: Swiss Confederation. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2016.[dead link]
External links
- www.sp-ps.ch Official website in French and German
- www.ps-ticino.ch Official website in Italian
- Social Democratic Party at the History of Social Security in Switzerland