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86-410: Before the merger, Sternenberg had a total area of 8.7 km (3.4 sq mi). Of this area, 37.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 58% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). In 1996 housing and buildings made up 2.3% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up

172-845: A Federal Councillor led to moderates within the party splitting to form the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP), which later merged with the Christian Democratic People's Party into The Centre . As of 2024 , the party is the largest in the National Council with 62 seats. It has six seats in the Council of States . The early origins of the SVP go back to the late 1910s, when numerous cantonal farmers' parties were founded in agrarian , Protestant , German-speaking parts of Switzerland. While

258-592: A Federal Councillor. On 5 September 2007, a parliamentary committee sharply criticised Blocher for overstepping his mandate in his handling of the resignation of former chief prosecutor Valentin Roschacher in 2006. In addition, documents confiscated in March by the German authorities from private banker Oskar Holenweger under suspicion of money laundering were presented as supporting a possible involvement of Blocher in

344-466: A conservative society. It opposes the public financing of maternity leave and nursery schools . In its education policy, it opposes tendencies to shift the responsibility of the upbringing of children from families to public institutions. The party claims an excessive influence of anti-authoritarian ideas originating from the protests of 1968 . In general, the party supports strengthening crime prevention measures against social crimes and, especially in

430-492: A loss of prosperity in Switzerland due to immigrants. According to the opinion of the party, such benefits amount to waste of taxpayers' money. Numerous SVP members have shown themselves to be critical of Islam by having participated in the minaret controversy , during which they pushed for an initiative to ban the construction of minarets. In November 2009, this ban won the majority vote (57.5%) and became an amendment to

516-537: A major media event and widely watched as a live broadcast. After Blocher's election, members of the Swiss political Left spontaneously protested. As a result of a reshuffling of Federal Council seats, Blocher became head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police . During 2004, Blocher's unconventionally unaccommodating stance towards his fellow federal councillors was the cause for speculations about

602-624: A merger of the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB) and the Democratic Party , while the BGB, in turn, had been founded in the context of the emerging local farmers' parties in the late 1910s. The SVP initially did not enjoy any increased support beyond that of the BGB, retaining around 11% of the vote through the 1970s and 1980s. This changed however during the 1990s, when the party underwent deep structural and ideological changes under

688-471: A new radical right-wing populist agenda. The Zürich wing began to politicise asylum issues, and the question of European integration started to dominate Swiss political debates. They also adopted more confrontational methods. The Zürich-wing subsequently started to gain ground in the party at the expense of the Bern-wing, and the party became increasingly centralised as a national party, in contrast to

774-464: A new radical right-wing populist agenda. The Zürich wing began to politicise asylum issues, and the question of European integration started to dominate Swiss political debates. They also adopted more confrontational methods. The Zürich wing subsequently started to gain ground in the party at the expense of the Bern wing, and the party became increasingly centralised as a national party, in contrast to

860-405: A plot to oust Roschacher from office. Blocher denied any involvement in such a plan. These developments happened to coincide with a campaign alleging a "secret plan to oust Blocher" initiated by the SVP on 27 August, and party spokesperson S. R. Jäggi on 6 September confirmed that campaign was referring to the documents incriminating Blocher in the Roschacher affair now revealed. Tension surrounding

946-563: A smear campaign" and said that his political foes endangered the secrecy laws and "the interests of Switzerland" with the accusations. Blocher had called for Hildebrand's resignation in 2011 in the wake of SNB's foreign exchange-related losses and continued strong calls after the FX-trades story grew, before Hildebrand ultimately resigned. In the Swiss Federal Council elections of 12 December 2007, Blocher did not receive

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1032-662: A teacher, originally hailed from Beuggen near Rheinfelden in the Kingdom of Württemberg and immigrated to Switzerland around 1833, becoming a citizen in the village of Schattenhalb in the Bernese Alps , in 1861. Blocher served in the Swiss military as an Aerial Defense Regiment Commander and Colonel . Blocher earned a certificate at the Wülflingen school of agriculture. In 1961, Blocher began studying independently for

1118-535: Is a Swiss industrialist and politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2004 to 2007. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), he headed the Federal Department of Justice and Police . As an industrialist, he became wealthy as CEO and majority shareholder in the EMS-Chemie corporation, now run by his daughter, Magdalena Martullo-Blocher . A controversial figure, Blocher

1204-466: Is known for his role in transforming Swiss politics , shifting it to the right , as well as the Swiss People's Party, which has become "the dominant force in national politics". As he "developed a eurosceptic and anti-immigration agenda that has shaken up the cozy post-war consensual system prevailing in neutral Switzerland", Blocher served as the de facto leader of the SVP and a symbol of

1290-649: Is seen by some political observers as the face of the SVP, and his presence in the party was a major factor in voter turnout among SVP voters. Damir Skenderovic, professor at the University of Fribourg has compared Blocher to Jörg Haider of the Freedom Party of Austria and Alliance for the Future of Austria , to Carl I. Hagen of the Norwegian Progress Party , and to Umberto Bossi of

1376-612: The 1979 federal election , with an increase from 11.3% to 14.5%. This was contrasted with the stable level in the other cantons, although the support also stagnated in Zürich through the 1980s. The struggle between the SVP's largest branches of Bern and Zürich continued into the early 1990s. While the Bern-oriented faction represented the old moderate style, the Zürich-oriented wing led by Christoph Blocher represented

1462-445: The 1979 federal election , with an increase from 11.3% to 14.5%. This was contrasted with the stable level in the other cantons, although the support also stagnated in Zürich through the 1980s. The struggle that existed between the SVP's largest branches of Bern and Zürich continued into the early 1990s. While the Bern-oriented faction represented the old moderate style of the SVP, the Zürich-oriented wing led by Blocher represented

1548-667: The Democratic Union of the Centre ( French : Union démocratique du centre , UDC ; Italian : Unione Democratica di Centro , UDC ), is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Switzerland . Chaired by Marcel Dettling , it is the largest party in the Federal Assembly , with 62 members of the National Council and 6 of the Council of States . The SVP originated in 1971 as

1634-711: The European Union and for more tightly controlled immigration. He stated he entered the political arena by chance due to a local zoning dispute. Blocher joined the SVP in 1972 and became the SVP president of the SVP chapter in Meilen in 1974. After being elected to the Cantonal Council of Zürich in 1975, Blocher was elected to the Swiss National Council and represented the canton of Zürich there from 25 November 1979 until his election to

1720-558: The Free Democratic Party had earlier been a popular party for farmers, this changed during World War I when the party had mainly defended the interests of industrialists and consumer circles. When proportional representation was introduced in 1919, the new farmers' parties won significant electoral support, especially in Zürich and Bern , and eventually also gained representation in parliament and government. By 1929,

1806-470: The National Council in 2011, Blocher announced that he would resign on 31 May 2014, saying that he was "wasting too much time in parliament" and that he wanted to focus on other political priorities like the implementation of the successful referendum result and a planned initiative on preventing Switzerland joining the European Union. In January 2016, soon after the 2015 federal election , where

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1892-611: The Swiss Armed Forces as the institution responsible for national defense. They believe that the army should remain a militia force and should never become involved in interventions abroad. In June and July 2010, the party used the silly season for floating the notion of a "Greater Switzerland" , where instead of Switzerland joining the EU, the border regions of Switzerland's neighbours would join Switzerland, submitted in July in

1978-513: The Swiss Conservative People's Party and the Free Democratic Party. In 1971, the BGB changed its name to the Swiss People's Party (SVP) after it merged with the Democratic Party from Glarus and Grisons . The Democratic Party had been supported particularly by workers, and the SVP sought to expand its electoral base towards these, as the traditional BGB base in the rural population had started to lose its importance in

2064-454: The Swiss People's Party received record gains, Blocher announced that he would not stand for reelection as vice president of the SVP when his term ended in April. Despite this, Blocher stated that he would remain involved in politics and would "push his anti-EU and anti-immigration campaigns", and he would remain in a senior position in the SVP. Blocher supported the popular initiative " For

2150-408: The de facto leader of the national SVP and one of the most famous Swiss politicians. In 1991, the party for the first time became the strongest party in Zürich, with 20.2% of the vote. It also broke through in the early 1990s in both Zürich and Switzerland as a whole, and experienced dramatically increasing results in elections. From being the smallest of the four governing parties at the start of

2236-420: The judiciary on politics. According to the SVP, this influence, especially through international law , increasingly puts the Swiss direct democracy in question. Public law which is legitimate by direct democracy standards should be agreed upon by the federal court. The European law, which according to the SVP is not democratically legitimate, shall always be subordinate to the Swiss law. The SVP also criticises

2322-497: The primary economic sector and about 22 businesses involved in this sector. 33 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 46 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 11 businesses in this sector. As of 2007 41% of the working population were employed full-time, and 59% were employed part-time. As of 2008 there were 59 Catholics and 206 Protestants in Sternenberg. In

2408-552: The "Blocher-Roschacher affair" was fuelled by the upcoming 2007 federal election . On 25 September, the National Council (the lower house ) decided to press a debate of the affair before the elections, overturning a decision by the council's office. Blocher was a target for the opposition on 18 September 2007, when his appearance at the Comptoir suisse (Swiss fair) in Lausanne was disrupted by protesters. In January 2012, it

2494-424: The 1930s. In the party's fight against left-wing ideologies, sections of party officials and farmers voiced sympathy with, or failed to distance themselves from, emerging fascist movements. After World War II , the BGB contributed to the establishment of the characteristic Swiss post-war consensual politics, social agreements and economic growth policies. The party continued to be a reliable political partner with

2580-416: The 1990s, the party by the end of the decade emerged as the strongest party in Switzerland. At the same time, the party expanded its electoral base towards new voter demographics. The SVP in general won its best results in cantons where the cantonal branches adopted the agenda of the Zürich wing. In the 1999 federal election , the SVP for the first time became the strongest party in Switzerland with 22.5% of

2666-638: The 19th century. As of 2024, he is the most recent federal councillor to left office having never served as president of the Swiss Confederation . Following the resignation of federal councillor Samuel Schmid on 12 November 2008, Blocher decided to run for the office again. The People's Party nominated him together with Ueli Maurer . In view of the 2007 election results, Blocher's chances to be re-elected were thought to be very slim. Not surprisingly, he had no chance of being re-elected and had to make room for his party colleague Ueli Maurer, who won

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2752-676: The 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the census, 65.6% were some type of Protestant, with 62.2% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church and 3.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 13.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 2% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.6% did not give a religion, and 16% were atheist or agnostic. Swiss People%27s Party The Swiss People's Party ( German : Schweizerische Volkspartei , SVP ; Romansh : Partida populara Svizra , PPS ), also known as

2838-522: The Bilateral I agreements with the EU which include provisions on the reduction of trade barriers as well as barriers in agriculture, land transport and civil aviation. Swiss voters rejected the referendum with 61.7% against. Only four cantons voted in favor. The SVP supports supply-side economics . It is a proponent of lower taxes and government spending. The SVP is not as liberal in terms of its agricultural policy since, in consideration of it being

2924-468: The Free Movement of Persons bilateral agreement within one year of passage. It would also bar the government from concluding any agreements that would grant the free movement of people to foreign nationals. The initiative was opposed by the other major parties in Switzerland. Other parties were concerned that because of the "guillotine clause" in the bilateral agreements, this would terminate all of

3010-474: The Italian Lega Nord . According to Steve Bannon , an American right-wing populist political and media figure, Blocher was "Trump before Trump", in reference to the 45th U.S. president Donald Trump , because of his early opposition to the European Union. Blocher is married and has three daughters ( Magdalena , Miriam, Rahel), a son ( Markus ), and twelve grandchildren. Blocher does not own

3096-463: The SVP has gained a reputation as a party that maintains a hard-line stance. In its foreign policy the SVP opposes the growing involvement of Switzerland in intergovernmental and especially supranational organisations , including the UN , EEA , EU , Schengen and Dublin treaties, and closer ties with NATO . The party stands for a strict neutrality of the country and the preservation of the strong role of

3182-399: The SVP opposes governmental measures for environmental protection . In its transportation policy, the party therefore endorses the expansion of the Swiss motorway network and is against the preference of public transportation over individual transportation. It supports the construction of megaprojects such as AlpTransit but criticizes the cost increases and demands more transparency. In

3268-537: The SVP's popularity, the party gained a second ministerial position in the Federal Council in 2003, which was taken by Christoph Blocher . Before this, the only SVP Federal Councillor had always been from the moderate Bern wing. The 2007 federal election still confirmed the SVP as the strongest party in Switzerland with 28.9% of the vote and 62 seats in the National Council, the largest share of

3354-878: The Students' Ring, which opposed the 1968 student protests and the left-wing politics on university campuses. Blocher started working at EMS-Chemie in 1969 as a student in its legal department. In 1972, Blocher was voted Chairman of the Board and CEO of the company, and in 1983, he purchased a majority of EMS-Chemie. When Blocher was voted into the Swiss Federal Council in 2003, he retired from all business functions in EMS and sold his majority holding to his four children on 30 December 2003. Blocher's oldest daughter, Magdalena Martullo-Blocher , became CEO of EMS on 1 January 2004. In 2014, Blocher bought shares of

3440-784: The Swiss Matura . In 1963, Blocher completed and passed the exams for the Swiss Matura, and in 1964, he passed an additional exam in Latin to pursue legal studies at university. He then studied law at the University of Zürich , in Montpellier , and in Paris. He has a DEA degree in law, and in 1971, he was awarded a doctorate in jurisprudence from the University of Zürich. While at the University of Zürich, Blocher co-founded

3526-570: The Swiss Constitution. However, the four existing minarets are not affected by the new legislation. The party has been active in the counter-jihad movement, participating in the 2010 international counter-jihad conference. Other recent victories of the SVP in regards to immigration policy include the federal popular initiatives " for the expulsion of criminal foreigners " (52.3%), and " Against mass immigration " (50.3%) in 2010 and 2014 respectively, all injecting counter-jihad policies into

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3612-562: The agency valued contact with Blocher, Peter Sager and other Swiss figures to create a positive view of Apartheid South Africa. When Blocher was elected president of the Zürich SVP in 1977, he declared his intent to oversee significant change in the political line of the Zürich SVP, bringing an end to debates that aimed to open the party up to a wide array of opinions. Blocher soon consolidated his power in Zürich, and began to renew

3698-578: The areas of social welfare policy and education policy, a return to meritocracy . The SVP is skeptical toward governmental support of gender equality, and the SVP has the smallest proportion of women among parties represented in the Federal Assembly of Switzerland . It was the only major party represented in the Assembly to oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage . Christoph Blocher Christoph Wolfram Blocher ( German pronunciation: [ˈkrɪ⁠stɔ⁠f ˈblɔ⁠⁠xər] ; born 11 October 1940)

3784-404: The cantonal branches adopted the agenda of the Zürich wing. In the 1999 federal election , the SVP for the first time became the strongest party in Switzerland with 22.5% of the vote, a 12.6% share increase. This was the biggest increase of votes for any party in the entire history of the Swiss proportional electoral system, which was introduced in 1919. As a result of the remarkable increase in

3870-443: The chairman of the 4th bureau of the Zürich district court filed a criminal complaint against Blocher on the grounds that the preoccupation with the speech had let them believe that Blocher had violated the law on racism. The district court requested to lift the immunity of Blocher, which he enjoyed through his office as a member of the National Council. Both chambers of the parliament denied the request. The People's Party emerged as

3956-471: The coalition of farmers' parties had gained enough influence to get one of their leaders, Rudolf Minger , elected to the Federal Council. In 1936, a representative party was founded on the national level, called the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB). During the 1930s, the BGB entered the mainstream of Swiss politics as a right-wing conservative party in the bourgeois bloc. While

4042-458: The continuous progression of the SVP since 1987. The party drew 26.6% percent of the vote, a 2.3-point decrease from the previous elections in 2007. This loss could be partly attributed to the split of the BDP, which gained 5.4% of the vote in 2011. However the SVP rebounded strongly in the 2015 federal election , gathering a record 29.4% of the national vote and 65 seats in parliament. Media attributed

4128-564: The effective expulsion of foreign criminals ", held on 28 February 2016 , but after its rejection, Blocher urged the SVP to use its position in the government, rather than popular initiatives, to advance its agenda. In an interview in April 2016, Blocher stated that United States president Ronald Reagan "was the best president I have seen" and that he thought that, like Reagan, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump would be underestimated but more competent and great than expected. After Trump's election victory, Blocher stated that his victory

4214-551: The election in the end. In 2008, Blocher became one of the five vice presidents of the SVP. After the extremely large 2007–2008 losses posted by UBS , its chairman Marcel Ospel resigned on 1 April 2008, and Blocher was rumoured to be considered as his replacement. However the role went to Peter Kurer , the bank's general counsel. Blocher was important in the success of the 9 February 2014 referendum on immigration quotas in Switzerland and continues to support policies designed to limit immigration to Switzerland. Returning to

4300-482: The federal council on 12 December 2003 as a deputy of the Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei/Union démocratique du centre; SVP/UDC), and then again from 4 December 2011 to 30 May 2014. In addition to leading the Zürich chapter of the Swiss People's Party, Blocher was a cofounder of the Action for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland ( Aktion für eine unabhängige und neutrale Schweiz ), and he served as

4386-421: The first opposition group in Switzerland since the 1950s. In 2008, the SVP demanded that Widmer-Schlumpf resign from the Federal Council and leave the party. When she refused, the SVP demanded that its Grisons branch expel her. Since Swiss parties are legally federations of cantonal parties, the federal SVP could not expel her itself. The Grisons branch stood by Widmer-Schlumpf, leading the SVP to expel it from

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4472-410: The form of a motion to the Federal Council by Dominique Baettig , signed by 26 SVP Councillors. Some, such as newspaper Die Welt , have also speculated that the initiative could be a response to the suggestion by Muammar al-Gaddafi to dissolve Switzerland and divide its territory among its neighbouring countries . Another key concern of the SVP is what it alleges is an increasing influence of

4558-464: The former branch represented the centrist faction, and the latter looked to put new issues on the political agenda. When the young entrepreneur Christoph Blocher was elected president of the Zürich SVP in 1977, he declared his intent to oversee significant change in the political line of the Zürich SVP, bringing an end to debates that aimed to open the party up to a wide array of opinions. Blocher soon consolidated his power in Zürich, and began to renew

4644-624: The future of the Swiss concordance system . He was attacked by his colleague Pascal Couchepin in an interview with the NZZ newspaper in the Sunday edition of 3 October. This was unprecedented in Switzerland; members of the Federal Council traditionally do not publicly criticise each other. In a public speech held at his cantonal party's annual Albisgüetlitagung in Zürich on 20 January 2006, Blocher labeled two Albanians seeking political asylum as "criminals", although no judicial verdict had been reached at

4730-495: The influence of Christoph Blocher ; the SVP then became the strongest party in Switzerland by the 2000s. In line with the changes fostered by Blocher, the party started to focus increasingly on issues such as Euroscepticism and opposition to mass immigration . Its vote share of 28.9% in the 2007 federal election was the highest vote ever recorded for a single party in Switzerland until 2015 , when it surpassed its own record with 29.4%. Blocher's failure to win re-election as

4816-428: The judiciary as undemocratic because the courts have made decisions against the will of the majority. In its immigration policy, the party commits itself to make asylum laws stricter and to reduce immigration. The SVP warns of immigration into the social welfare system and criticises the high proportion of foreigners among the public insurance benefit recipients and other social welfare programs. It addresses fears of

4902-510: The largest party in the National Council in the Federal Assembly election of 19 October 2003 with 26.6% of the vote. Blocher personally topped the poll in Zürich, and became Switzerland's most prominent and controversial politician. Since 1929, the People's Party (known until 1971 as the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents [BGB]) had held a seat on the seven-member Swiss Federal Council. At

4988-638: The last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -1.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (98.0%), with French being second most common ( 0.3%) and English being third ( 0.3%). In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 43.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (22.5%), the CSP (15.7%) and the Green Party (10.2%). The age distribution of

5074-493: The most popular party among farmers, it refuses to reduce agricultural subsidies or curtail the current system of direct payments to farmers, to ensure larger farming businesses do not dominate the marketplace. The expansion of the Schengen Area eastward was looked at skeptically by the SVP, which it associated with economic immigration and higher crime rates. In terms of the environment, transportation and energy policy

5160-520: The necessary number of votes in the parliament to retain his seat. In his stead, the parliament elected Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (a moderate SVP member), who accepted the mandate on 13 December 2007. Blocher thus became the fourth federal councillor to be ousted from office in the history of the Swiss Federal State, following Ruth Metzler whom he had replaced the previous term, besides Ulrich Ochsenbein and Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel in

5246-462: The newspaper Basler Zeitung and then bought the free newspaper Zehnder . In 2018, the magazine Bilanz estimated the Blocher family's fortune at between ten and eleven billion Swiss francs, placing it among the ten wealthiest families in Switzerland. Blocher built his political career through campaigning for smaller government, for a free-market economy, against Switzerland's membership in

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5332-418: The organisational structures, activities, campaigning style and political agenda of the local branch. The young members of the party were boosted with the establishment of a cantonal Young SVP (JSVP) in 1977, as well as political training courses. The ideology of the Zürich branch was also reinforced, and the rhetoric hardened, which resulted in the best election result for the Zürich branch in fifty years in

5418-415: The organisational structures, activities, campaigning style and political agenda of the local branch. The young members of the party was boosted with the establishment of a cantonal Young SVP (JSVP) in 1977, as well as political training courses. The ideology of the Zürich branch was also reinforced, and the rhetoric hardened, which resulted in the best election result for the Zürich branch in fifty years in

5504-399: The other People's Party member, Samuel Schmid (a member of the centrist wing), off the council and going into opposition, Blocher was elected on 10 December 2003. He took the seat of Ruth Metzler-Arnold , only the third federal councillor in history (and the first since 1872) not to be reelected. In the third round Blocher beat Metzler with 121 to 116 votes. The election was anticipated as

5590-590: The party opposed any kind of socialist ideas such as internationalism and anti-militarism , it sought to represent local Swiss traders and farmers against big business and international capital. The BGB contributed strongly to the establishment of the Swiss national ideology known as the Geistige Landesverteidigung (Spiritual Defence of the Nation), which was largely responsible for the growing Swiss sociocultural and political cohesion from

5676-413: The party's election gains. The SVP adheres to national conservatism , aiming at the preservation of Switzerland's political sovereignty and a conservative society. Furthermore, the party promotes the principle of individual responsibility and is skeptical toward any expansion of governmental services. This stance is most evident in the rejection of an accession of Switzerland to the European Union ,

5762-583: The party, holding its vice presidency from 2008 until 2018. Blocher was born 11 October 1940 in Schaffhausen , Switzerland, the seventh of eleven children, to Wolfram (1897–1972) and Ida ( née Baur; 1908–1994). He primarily grew-up in Laufen-Uhwiesen and later in Kilchberg . His father was a pastor and his mother a homemaker. His second great-grandfather Johann Georg Blocher (1811–1899),

5848-475: The party. Shortly afterward, the Grisons branch reorganised itself as the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP). Soon afterward, virtually all of the SVP's Bern branch, including Schmid, defected to the new party. The SVP regained its position in government in late 2008, when Schmid was forced to resign due to a political scandal, and was replaced with Ueli Maurer . The 2011 federal election put an end to

5934-451: The political mainstream. The 2014 referendum resulted in a narrow victory for the SVP. Following the vote, the Swiss government entered into negotiations with the EU and, in 2016, concluded an agreement that would provide for preferences for Swiss citizens in hiring. The SVP criticized the agreement as weak. In response, in 2020, the party placed the ballot a referendum called the "For Moderate Immigration" initiative, which would terminate

6020-537: The population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.2%. In Sternenberg about 76.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). There are 140 households in Sternenberg. Sternenberg has an unemployment rate of 1.8%. As of 2005, there were 48 people employed in

6106-500: The post-war era. As the Democratic Party had represented centrist , social-liberal positions, the course of the SVP shifted towards the political centre following internal debates. The new party however continued to see its level of support at around 11%, the same as the former BGB throughout the post-war era. Internal debates continued, and the 1980s saw growing conflicts between the Bern and Zürich cantonal branches, where

6192-496: The president of the organization from its foundation in 1986 until his election to the Federal Council in 2003. In 1982, Blocher founded Arbeitsgruppe Südliches Afrika , a pro-South Africa working group made up of Swiss members of parliament, such as Ulrich Schlüer . According to a Swiss government-funded research study authored by historian Peter Hug , records of the South African military intelligence agency show that

6278-470: The rejection of military involvement abroad, and the rejection of increases in government spending on social welfare and education. The SVP "does not reject either democracy or the liberal order," and the terms "right-wing populist" or "far-right" are rarely used to describe it in Switzerland. The emphasis of the party's policies lies in foreign policy, immigration and homeland security policy as well as tax and social welfare policy. Among political opponents,

6364-401: The rest (1.5%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0% of the area. As of 2007 0.9% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction. Sternenberg had a population (as of 2013) of 351. As of 2007, 4.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. As of 2008 the gender distribution of the population was 51.3% male and 48.7% female. Over

6450-528: The rise to concerns over the European migrant crisis . The party received the highest proportion of votes of any Swiss political party since 1919, when proportional representation was first introduced, and it received more seats in the National Council than any other political party since 1963, when the number of seats was set at 200. The SVP gained a second member in the Federal Council again, with Guy Parmelin replacing Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf after

6536-417: The scope of environmentalism and energy policy, the SVP is against the carbon tax and supports the use of nuclear energy . In the context of reductions of CO 2 emissions, the SVP cites the limited impact of Switzerland and instead supports globally, and legally binding agreements to address global climate change . In social welfare policy the SVP rejects expansion of the welfare state , and stands for

6622-399: The tabloid Sonntags-Blick published an article with the headline "Blocher: The Jews are all about money." Blocher filed for libel against the editor-in-chief of the tabloid. The district court acquitted the journalist because Blocher "unrestrainedly addressed anti-Semitic instincts." Blocher appealed the verdict. Before the Zürich supreme court, the two parties agreed on a settlement. Later

6708-583: The time the current coalition formed in 1959, the BGB was the smallest party represented on the Council. By 2003 it had become the largest party, and demanded another seat at the expense of the Christian Democrats , now the smallest party. The SVP nominated Blocher as its second candidate. This generated a good deal of controversy; previously most SVP councillors had come from the party's more moderate centrist-agrarian wing. After threats of pulling

6794-509: The time. Later, when confronted, he claimed before the Swiss Council of States (the upper house ) that he had only used the word 'accused'. Since the speech had been recorded, he then had to admit that he had used the word "criminals". In July 2006, a commission of the Council of States reprimanded Blocher, stating that the setting of false prejudice and making false statement to the Council of States constituted unacceptable behaviour for

6880-412: The traditional Swiss system of parties with loose organisational structures and weak central powers. During the 1990s, the party also doubled its number of cantonal branches (to eventually be represented in all cantons), which strengthened the power of the Zürich wing, since most new sections supported their agenda. In 1991, the party for the first time became the strongest party in Zürich, with 20.2% of

6966-469: The traditional Swiss system of parties with loose organisational structures and weak central powers. During the 1990s, the party also doubled its number of cantonal branches (to eventually be represented in all cantons), which strengthened the power of the Zürich-wing since most new sections supported their agenda. Although Swiss political parties tended to lack dominant national leaders, Blocher became

7052-427: The vote for any single party ever in Switzerland. However, the Federal Council refused to re-elect Blocher, who was replaced by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf of the moderate Graubünden branch. In response, the national SVP withdrew its support from Widmer-Schlumpf and its other Federal Councillor, fellow SVP moderate Samuel Schmid , from the party, along with Widmer-Schlumpf's whole cantonal section. The SVP thus formed

7138-540: The vote, a 12.6% share increase. This was the biggest increase of votes for any party in the entire history of the Swiss proportional electoral system, which was introduced in 1919. In 1997 a speech, Blocher stated "The Jewish organizations that demand money, claim that ultimately it is not about money. But let's be honest: This is exactly what it is about." These remarks were in relation to a World Jewish Congress-initiated lawsuit calling for restitution of Nazi-seized assets that were hidden in Swiss banks. The following day,

7224-469: The vote. The party broke through in the early 1990s in both Zürich and Switzerland as a whole, and experienced dramatically increasing results in elections. From being the smallest of the four governing parties at the start of the 1990s, the party by the end of the decade emerged as the strongest party in Switzerland. At the same time, the party expanded its electoral base towards new voter demographics. The SVP in general won its best results in cantons where

7310-560: Was a warning to world leaders not to ignore the people's concerns on issues such as immigration, saying "people feel powerless against those who rule them, and for them, Trump is a release valve." Blocher continued advocating against Swiss membership in the European Union, and for strengthing Swiss neutrality. In March 2018, the SVP announced that Blocher would resign as the party's chief strategist, though he would continue to remain involved in Swiss politics. On 19 January 2024, Blocher announced he would retire from politics. Blocher

7396-410: Was reported that Blocher had received information from an unnamed whistleblower regarding foreign exchange trades at Bank Sarasin made by Swiss National Bank chairman Philipp Hildebrand 's wife Kashya. The alleged whistleblower was subsequently fired and faced criminal investigations under Swiss banking secrecy laws . Hildebrand denied accusations of insider trading , claimed to be the "victim of

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