SRG Election Barometer Shows Upward Trend for Center: FDP Turns From Fighter to Hunted

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It was an early declaration of war from FDP leader Thierry Burkart (47) to the SP: he wants to overtake the socialists in the autumn elections and drive them out of second place. But now the FDP itself turns from the hunter to the hunted. Second place is still a long way off, according to the latest election barometer of the SRG. Instead, the Liberals must tremble for their place on the podium, as the center is hot on their heels.

Correspondingly, the FDP lost half a percentage point in voters to 14.6 percent, while the median rose by half a percentage point to 14.3 percent. Just a touch separates the two parties.

If the center that emerged from the CVP and BDP actually overtakes the FDP, there would be a “historic shift”, says Sotomo polling station. For the first time, the successor to the Catholic Conservatives, who opposed the new federal state in 1848, would overtake the liberal-liberal state founder.

FDP must tremble

Does downtown smell the morning air now? “Surveys are surveys, but the outcome strengthens our policy, for example with health costs,” says the center party leader Philipp Matthias Bregy (44) diplomatically. He sees a reason for the upward trend: “We fight the most against the increasing polarization, that is good for us.”

If the average trend continues, the FDP will have to tremble not only for its third place, but also for its second seat in the Bundesrat. Party leader Burkart is still not shocked: “We are currently seeing a sideways movement, which is a pity,” he says about the result. “But we are still in the middle and want to grow in the fall.”

Whether that succeeds will also depend on whether voter anger over the CS debacle has subsided by then. “The CS story certainly didn’t help us,” says Burkart. But a lot can happen before fall. He also looks ahead: “Second place remains our goal.”

SP fears sliding to the right

SP co-boss Mattea Meyer (35) is relaxed about the fact that the FDP’s declaration of war remains. “The FDP has been in favor with the SVP in recent months – for example on the asylum issue or with list affiliations – and is now getting the receipt for it,” she says.

What worries her more is the impending shift to the right as a whole. The SVP rises under his boss Marco Chiesa (48) by 1.5 percentage points to 27.1 percent and remains the undisputed number one. The right bloc wins despite FDP losses. “We will do everything we can to prevent this shift to the right,” said Meyer. “Otherwise climate protection, purchasing power and equality will fall by the wayside.”

Concerns about the climate are not helping the Greens

It looks bad that this will work. The reason for this is the weakness of the Greens. They lose no less than 3 percentage points, but remain in the double digits at 10.2 percent. In view of the impending losses, party leader Balthasar Glättli (51) can bury the green dreams of the Bundesrat.

The Green Liberals under party leader Jürg Grossen (53) can easily grow. With 8.3 percent (+0.5 percentage point), they would achieve their best election result to date.

However, the bottom line is that the green wave of 2019 is fading. And this despite the fact that the climate issue is still at the top of the list of concerns of the population. From a voter’s point of view, climate change remains the biggest political challenge in Switzerland, with 40 percent citing it.

The data for the SRG Election Barometer was collected online from 8 to 22 June 2023 through the Sotomo panel and SRG online channels. The results of the survey are based on 25,216 valid participants and are representative of the active voting population in Switzerland.

Source:Blick