Swiss People’s Party
The SVP
The Swiss People’s Party (SVP, in French UDC) has been the strongest party in Switzerland by votes since 1999 — and so it shapes the conditions under which Swiss and international companies operate here.
Anyone who runs a company in Switzerland, or wants to gain a foothold here, will sooner or later encounter the SVP: in popular votes on immigration and Europe, in tax and energy policy, and in the Federal Council.
The party in brief
The SVP is a national-conservative and economically liberal party based in Bern. It is represented in every canton and has formed the largest group in the National Council since the 1999 elections. In the 2023 elections it won around 28 percent of the vote.
From the BGB to the SVP
The SVP was formed in 1971 by the merger of the Farmers’, Traders’ and Citizens’ Party (BGB) with the Democratic Parties of the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden. Its roots therefore lie in the rural and small-business middle class. From the 1990s, with the No to the European Economic Area (EEA) in 1992, European policy became its defining issue.
Independence and neutrality
At the centre of its programme are Swiss independence, armed neutrality and direct democracy. The party opposes EU membership and an institutional tie to the EU, and calls for Switzerland to control immigration on its own. It takes many of its causes directly to the people through popular initiatives and referendums.
Concordance: two seats in the Federal Council
Under Swiss concordance, the major parties share the national government. The SVP holds two of the seven seats in the Federal Council. It is therefore a governing party and, on individual issues, also the opposition — a role that exists in this form only in Switzerland.
SMEs, taxes, regulation
In economic policy the SVP stands for low taxes and charges, less bureaucracy and a lean state. It sees itself as the voice of trades, agriculture and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
What it means for companies
For companies in Switzerland, and for foreign companies entering the Swiss market, three issues matter most where the SVP strongly shapes the debate: relations with the EU and therefore market access, immigration and therefore the recruitment of skilled staff, and taxes and regulation. Knowing the positions helps to understand vote results and the conditions to come.
The Swiss Business International Association brings entrepreneurs together in person, so that such questions can be discussed face to face.
Sources
- SVP Switzerland, official website: svp.ch — party programme and positions.
- Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), National Council elections 1999–2023.
- Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HDS), article “Swiss People’s Party”.