Switzerland
Details
Download: Chapter 8.pdf (454.61 [Ko])
State: Public
Version: Author's accepted manuscript
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State: Public
Version: Author's accepted manuscript
License: Not specified
Serval ID
serval:BIB_4E00695E60EC
Type
A part of a book
Publication sub-type
Chapter: chapter ou part
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Switzerland
Title of the book
Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe
Publisher
Routledge
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2021
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Editor
Albertazzi Daniele, Vampa Davide
Series
Extremism and Democracy Series
Pages
148-167
Language
english
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to study the interactions between Switzerland’s mainstream
parties and the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Since 1999, the SVP has become the largest
party in the country and it is currently the Western European populist radical right
party with the largest vote share. An additional characteristic of the SVP is that it has
never been a ‘niche’ party, nor an ‘outsider’. Indeed, the party has been constantly
represented in the federal government during the last decades, while continuing to
exploit the tools provided by direct democracy for its own purposes. In this chapter, we
cover a wide time span (1992–2018) and focus on the SVP’s core issues: immigration,
law and order, and European integration. Our results show that the traditional
mainstream parties adopted a variety of different strategies vis-à-vis the SVP, thereby
mixing cooperation, co-optation, clashing, and dismissive strategies. Whilst cooptation
developed into the dominant approach as far as immigration and law and
order were concerned, clashing strategies became increasingly important when it came
to European integration. However, as a rule mainstream parties could not avoid
collaborative strategies entirely, given that the SVP was their partner in government.
parties and the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Since 1999, the SVP has become the largest
party in the country and it is currently the Western European populist radical right
party with the largest vote share. An additional characteristic of the SVP is that it has
never been a ‘niche’ party, nor an ‘outsider’. Indeed, the party has been constantly
represented in the federal government during the last decades, while continuing to
exploit the tools provided by direct democracy for its own purposes. In this chapter, we
cover a wide time span (1992–2018) and focus on the SVP’s core issues: immigration,
law and order, and European integration. Our results show that the traditional
mainstream parties adopted a variety of different strategies vis-à-vis the SVP, thereby
mixing cooperation, co-optation, clashing, and dismissive strategies. Whilst cooptation
developed into the dominant approach as far as immigration and law and
order were concerned, clashing strategies became increasingly important when it came
to European integration. However, as a rule mainstream parties could not avoid
collaborative strategies entirely, given that the SVP was their partner in government.
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Create date
01/09/2019 17:33
Last modification date
08/05/2023 7:10