After a campaign fueled by anti-mass immigration rhetoric and pledges to combat the “wake-up madness,” polling stations are open for only a few hours this morning, with the vast majority of Swiss voters casting their ballots in the four weeks leading up to Election Day.

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Edited by| Tony Wild

 

Europe  section -  CJ journalist

 

Bern - October,22,2023 

 

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Switzerland, with a population of 8.8 million, is voting for all 200 seats in the National Assembly and all 46 seats in the Council of states, and it seems that right-wing populists in Switzerland will sweep the general elections scheduled for today .

The preliminary results forecast, mentioning only the percentages, is expected to be released at about 4:00 pm (14:00 GMT).

The Council of states, which represents the cantons that make up Switzerland, is dominated by the centre-right centre party and the right-wing so-called Liberal Democratic Party.

Elections, which are held by a majority of votes, rarely change the balance.

In the Chamber of Deputies, where proportional representation is used, the right-wing populist Swiss People's party is on track to consolidate its position as the largest political force.

At the same time, the Greens are expected to cede ground in favor of the Social Democrats, according to opinion polls.

Sean Muller, a professor at the Institute of Political Studies at the University of Lausanne, said that although most people have already cast their votes, he does not think that the votes of the undecided so far will be affected by recent events “because as a neutral country, we are still safe from terrorism, “he told AFP.

The Swiss People's party (SVP), which is strongly anti – EU, strongly defends the military neutrality that Switzerland has long enjoyed, but feels that this principle has been significantly tested in recent months.

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but it has matched the economic sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia in the wake of Moscow's large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

However, the election campaign of the Swiss People's party focused on its favorite theme: the fight against “mass immigration” and saying No to Switzerland with a population of 10 million people.

The Federal Commission Against Racism accused the vice president of running an “xenophobic” campaign on social media by highlighting criminal cases committed by foreigners.