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The SVP as the big election winner. The SP strengthened, the Greens punished. A battle between the FDP and the Center for third place. A verbal misstep by the GLP boss. And an embarrassing data breach by the Federal Statistical Office.
A week full of emotions! Some parties also feel this when it comes to membership numbers.
SP: 700 new members
The SP not only increased its vote by 1.5 to 18.3 percent in the elections, but also recorded a huge increase in membership. “Due to the shift to the right, 700 members have joined the SP since Sunday to stand up for a social Switzerland together with the SP,” party spokesman Nicolas Häsler told Blick. The comrades now have 33,900 members under the co-chairmanship of Mattea Meyer (35) and Cédric Wermuth (37).
The shift to the right worries a large part of the population. “A stronger SVP puts further pressure on purchasing power and jeopardizes climate protection and progress on equality,” says Häsler. “Many people want to commit themselves together with the SP, so that the SVP’s propaganda against foreigners does not become increasingly stronger.”
SVP: More than 200 newcomers
But this SVP also benefited. Not only does the voter share increase to 27.9 percent, the party of Marco Chiesa (49) is also gaining popularity among its members. “The number of new members has been increasing for some time. “In the short time since election Sunday alone, we have registered more than 200 new members,” explains media spokeswoman Andrea Sommer.
This development and the success of the SVP elections would clearly demonstrate that the population wants a change of course on important issues such as asylum, immigration and energy policy. According to Sommer, the SVP currently has about 80,000 members and sympathizers.
Greens: Frustration brings new people
The Greens under party chairman Balthasar Glättli (51) were punished in Sunday’s elections – with a loss of 3.4 to 9.8 percent. A small increase in membership offers some comfort. “Since election Sunday, we have once again seen membership growth and have added more than 50 members,” said Secretary General Rahel Estermann. The number could still increase because the registration process runs through the cantonal parties and therefore arrives at the head office with a delay.
Estermann explains that the Greens are growing despite the election defeat: “Many people are frustrated that consistent climate policies, social justice and an open society have suffered a setback with Sunday’s election results. This fuels the fighting spirit in many.” In any case, the Greens have grown considerably since the beginning of 2019: from around 5,000 to now more than 14,000 members.
GLP: Movement in Geneva
Election Sunday was brutal for the GLP. The party under President Jürg Grossen (54) lost only 0.2 percentage points and remains stable at 7.6 percent, but loses six seats in the National Council. Since 2019, the party has been able to count on increasing membership numbers. This is “currently around 8,000,” says co-secretary general Ahmet Kut.
“Around election weekend we saw an increase in membership, especially in Geneva.” The latter could be related to the strengthening of right-wing forces there and the loss of seats of the GLP there, he suspects.
FDP: The figures remain stable
The FDP with party leader Thierry Burkart (48) has a voter share of 14.3 percent. However, the party does not have a centrally maintained membership register, which makes precise information impossible. “The FDP has approximately 120,000 members and supporters,” said Secretary General Jon Fanzun.
The number of members has been more or less stable in recent years. There have been no changes in recent weeks and days. He doesn’t expect any big jumps here either. After all: “The Young Liberals have increased their membership by about 10 percent since the 2019 elections.”
The Center Party is growing
Even under party leader Gerhard Pfister (61), there is no centrally managed membership system in the center. The local parties are responsible for this. It is therefore currently not possible to say what impact election Sunday will have on membership numbers, says media spokeswoman Rosmarie Brunner.
But what can be said: “Since the beginning of this year, we have recorded an increase of approximately 2,000 members and sympathizers.” The party currently has about 93,500 members and sympathizers.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
