Social Democratic Party of Switzerland











































































Social Democratic Party of Switzerland



Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz (SP) (German)
Parti socialiste suisse (PS) (French)
Partito Socialista Svizzero (PS) (Italian)
Partida Socialdemocrata de la Svizra (PS) (Romansh)

President Christian Levrat
Members in Federal Council
Simonetta Sommaruga
Alain Berset
Founded 21 October 1888
Headquarters Spitalgasse 34
CH-3001 Bern
Youth wing Young Socialists Switzerland
Membership (2015) 30,000[1]
Ideology
Social democracy[2]
Democratic socialism[3]
Anti-capitalism[4][5]
Pro-Europeanism[3]
Political position
Centre-left[3][6] to left-wing[7][8][9]
European affiliation
Party of European Socialists (associate)
International affiliation Progressive Alliance
Colours
     Red
Federal Council

2 / 7

National Council

43 / 200

Council of States

12 / 46

Cantonal executives

28 / 154

Cantonal legislatures

459 / 2,609

Website
sp-ps.ch

  • Politics of Switzerland

  • Political parties

  • Elections


The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (also rendered as Swiss Socialist Party; German: Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz, SP; French: Parti socialiste suisse, PS; Italian: Partito Socialista Svizzero; Romansh: Partida Socialdemocrata de la Svizra) is a political party in Switzerland. It has been represented by two Federal Councilors since 1960 and got the second-most votes in the 2015 national elections.


The party 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 left-wing party with representatives in the Swiss Federal Council. It is also the second largest political party in the Swiss parliament. The current members in the Swiss Federal Council are Alain Berset and Simonetta Sommaruga.


The SP is the largest pro-European party in Switzerland and supports Swiss membership of the European Union,[3] unlike most other Swiss parties. Additionally, it is strongly opposed to capitalism and maintains a long-term goal of "overcoming capitalism."[4][5][10] The party is a member of the Progressive Alliance,[11] and an associate member of the Party of European Socialists.[12]




Contents






  • 1 History


  • 2 Policies


  • 3 Popular support


  • 4 Election results


  • 5 Party strength over time


  • 6 Presidents


  • 7 Members of the Swiss Federal Council


  • 8 Notes and references


  • 9 External links





History

























































With its foundation in October 1888, the Social Democratic Party was considered to be the main opposition to the Radicals in government and parliament. After the unsuccessful general strike in 1918, proportional representation was introduced which helped the SP gain 41 seats in parliament.[13] The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1927 and 1940.[14] After the strike the party took a softer line and in 1943 it became the strongest party in parliament, finally gaining a seat in the Federal Council. It picked up a second seat in 1959.[13] The party's historical archives is today hosted by the Swiss Social Archives.



Policies




The SP's positions in the Swiss political spectrum (2007)


The SP supports classical social democratic policies. To that rule, the SP stands for a government offering strong public services. The SP is against far-reaching economic liberalism, in favor of social progressivism, environmental policy with climate change mitigation, for an open foreign policy, and a national security policy based on pacifism.


In economic, financial, and social welfare policy, the SP rejects policies of economic liberalization such as deregulation, lowering taxes for high-income citizens, and decreases in government spending on social insurance. The SP also opposes raising the retirement age. In addition, the SP is a proponent of increasing welfare spending in some areas such as for a publicly financed maternity leave, universal health care and a flexible retirement age. In tax policy the SP opposes the notion of lowering taxes for high-income citizens. By campaigning for the harmonisation of all tax rates in Switzerland, the SP seeks more redistribution. The SP is skeptical toward the privatization of state enterprises. Nonetheless, the SP also promotes more competition in the areas of agriculture and parallel imports.


In social policy, the SP is committed to social equity and an open society. Thus, the SP aims at making working conditions for women in families easier by promoting more external childcare centers and more opportunities for part-time jobs. It also aims at reinforcing sexual equality in terms of eliminating wage differences based on gender, supports civil union for homosexuals and takes an easier stance toward abortions. The SP also rejects strengthening restrictions on asylum seekers and immigrants. Thus, it supports the integration of immigrants by which the immigrants are assigned to immigration procedures immediately after entering the country. The SP has a liberal stance toward drugs and is in favor of publicly regulated heroin consumption and the legalization of cannabis. Nevertheless, the SP supports the smoking ban in restaurants and bars.


In foreign policy the SP promotes further participation by Switzerland in international organizations. It supports immediate entry of Switzerland into the European Union. The SP also stands for a less strict neutrality of Switzerland, and supports increased international efforts on the part of Switzerland in the areas of peace and human rights. However, the SP supports keeping the military neutrality and opposes entry into NATO. Its pacifist stance is also reflected in its military policy: The SP supports reducing the number of Swiss militia while making the military apparatus more professional and scrapping conscription. Another demand of the SP is to end the tradition of gun ownership, using severe and recent examples of abuse in terms of murder as proof.


Together with the Green Party of Switzerland, the Social Democrats have common environmentalist policies, which are reflected in the expansion of ecotax reforms and increased state support for energy saving measures and renewable energies. The SP is against the construction of new roads where possible and instead proposes to shift the transportation of goods from the roads to the railways and the introduction of a cap and trade and traffic management system when it comes to transportation across the Swiss Alps. Furthermore, the SP stands for an expansion of the public transportation system network and opposes nuclear energy.



Popular support




Percentages of the SP at district level in 2011




Strongest in urban areas, the Social Democrats' support is spread across the country as they hold a quarter of seats in cantonal parliaments, but are the largest party in only one, Basel-Stadt (coloured red above)


In 2003, it held 52 mandates (out of 200) in the Swiss National Council (first chamber of the Swiss parliament); 9 (out of 46) in the second chamber and 2 out of 7 mandates in the Swiss Federal Council (executive body). By 2005, it held 23.8% of the seats in the Swiss Cantonal governments and 23.2% in the Swiss Cantonal parliaments (index "BADAC", weighted with the population and number of seats). At the latest legislative elections on 18 October 2015, the party won 18.8% of the popular vote and 43 out of 200 seats.[15]



Election results
























































































































































































































































































































































Nationalrat
Year
Votes
Seats
Rank (seats)
#
%
± pp
#
±

1890

3.6



1 / 147



Increase 1

5th

1893

5.9



1 / 147


Steady
5th

1896
25,304
6.8



2 / 147



Increase 1

4th

1899
35,488
9.6



4 / 147



Increase 2

4th

1902
51,338
12.6



7 / 167



Increase 3

4th

1905
60,308
14.7



2 / 167



Decrease 5

5th

1908
70,003
17.6



7 / 167



Increase 5

4th

1911
80,050
20.0



15 / 189



Increase 8

3rd

1914
34,204
10.1



19 / 189



Increase 3

3rd

1917
158,450
30.8



20 / 189



Increase 2

3rd

1919
175,292
23.5



41 / 189



Increase 21

2nd

1922
170,974
23.3



43 / 198



Increase 2

3rd

1925
192,208
25.8



49 / 198



Increase 6

2nd

1928
220,141
27.4



50 / 198



Increase 1

2nd

1931
247,946
28.7



49 / 187



Decrease 1

2nd

1935
255,843
28.0



50 / 187



Increase 1

1st

1939
160,377
25.9



45 / 187



Decrease 5

2nd

1943
251,576
28.6



56 / 194



Increase 11

1st

1947
251,625
26.2



48 / 194



Decrease 8

2nd

1951
249,857
26.0



49 / 196



Increase 1

2nd

1955
263,664
27.0



53 / 196



Increase 4

1st

1959
259,139
26.4



51 / 196



Decrease 2

1st

1963
256,063
26.6



53 / 200



Increase 2

1st

1967
233,873
23.5



50 / 200



Decrease 3

1st

1971[16]
452,195
22.9%
– 0.6


46 / 200



Decrease 4

2nd

1975[16]
477,125
24.9%
+ 2.0


55 / 200



Increase 9

2nd

1979[16]
443,794
24.4%
– 0.5


51 / 200



Decrease 4

2nd

1983[16]
444,365
22.8%
– 1.6


47 / 200



Decrease 4

2nd

1987[16]
353,334
18.4%
– 4.4


41 / 200



Decrease 6

3rd

1991[16]
373,664
18.5%
+ 0.1


41 / 200



Steady 0

2nd

1995[16]
410,136
21.8%
+ 3.3


54 / 200



Increase 13

2nd

1999[16]
438,555
22.5%
– 0.7


51 / 200



Decrease 3

3rd

2003[16]
490,392
23.3%
+ 0.8


52 / 200



Increase 1

2nd

2007[16]
450,308
19.5%
– 3.8


43 / 200



Decrease 9

2nd

2011[16]
451,236
18.7%
– 0.8


46 / 200



Increase 3

2nd

2015[15]
475,071
18.8%
+ 0.1


43 / 200



Decrease 3

2nd


Party strength over time










































































































































































































































































































































































































































Canton 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
Percentage of the total vote for the Social Democratic Party in Federal Elections 1971-2015[17]
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
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
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
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
Uri *a
* 23.0 * * * * * * * 21.5 *
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
Obwalden * * * * * * * * * 11.6 * *
Nidwalden * * 10.6 * * * * * * * * *
Glarus 57.2 64.7 * * * 53.7 83.9 85.7 67.1 55.5 24.6 45.0
Zug * 35.7 30.9 22.8 22.6 16.1 17.0 23.3 13.4 9.1 5.3 13.8
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
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
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
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
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
Appenzell A.Rh. 37.4 40.1 * 23.6 * * 21.9 29.6 19.9 * * 28.6
Appenzell I.Rh. * * * * * * * * * * 20.3 18.1
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Jura b b * 17.8 25.5 28.8 32.4 34.2 34.2 36.9 30.8 23.7


1.^a * indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.

2.^b 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
Since 2008
Christian Levrat


Members of the Swiss 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
2002–2011
Micheline Calmy-Rey
Since 2010
Simonetta Sommaruga
Since 2011
Alain Berset


Notes and references





  1. ^ The Swiss Confederation — A Brief Guide. Federal Chancellery. 2015. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2015). "Switzerland". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 31 August 2018.


  3. ^ abcd "Switzerland—Political Parties". European Election Database (EED). Norwegian Centre for Research Data. Retrieved 31 March 2018.


  4. ^ ab "Überwindung des Kapitalismus bleibt SP-Fernziel" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 7 April 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2017.


  5. ^ ab "SP will die «Überwindung des Kapitalismus» konkretisieren" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 3 December 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2017.


  6. ^ René Schwok (2009). "Why Switzerland Refused to Join the European Union". Switzerland--European Union: An Impossible Membership?. Peter Lang. p. 119. ISBN 978-90-5201-576-7.


  7. ^ Ladner, Andreas (2013). Die Positionierung der Schweizer Parteien im internationalen Vergleich. Die Parteien in Bewegung: Nachbarschaft und Konflikte. NZZ Libro. p. 213.


  8. ^ The Economist Intelligence Unit (2015). Switzerland--Country Overview. The Economist. p. 1.


  9. ^ Federal Chancellery, Communication Support (2016). The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide. Switzerland: Swiss Confederation. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.


  10. ^ "Positionspapier sorgt für rote Köpfe bei Genossen" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 19 November 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2017.


  11. ^ "Participants | Progressive Alliance". Progressive-alliance.info. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-03-20.


  12. ^ PES member parties PES Archived 2013-05-03 at the Wayback Machine. Pes.eu. Retrieved on 2013-09-07.


  13. ^ ab Social Democratic Party. swissinfo.ch (2007-11-30). Retrieved on 2013-09-07.


  14. ^ Kowalski, Werner. Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 323


  15. ^ ab Bundesamt für Statistik. "Nationalratswahlen: Übersicht Schweiz". Retrieved 2015-10-19.


  16. ^ abcdefghijk Grossenbacher, Timo (2015-09-30). "Party strongholds and political battlefields 1971−2011 - SWI". Swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2016-03-20.


  17. ^ Nationalratswahlen 2015: Der Wandel der Parteienlandschaft seit 1971 (Report). Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-08-02.




External links




  • www.sp-ps.ch in French and German


  • www.ps-ticino.ch in Italian


  • Social Democratic Party in History of Social Security in Switzerland













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