The success of Swiss right-wing populists does not cover up their ugly methods

The election victory of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC) on Sunday should in no way trivialise racism, incitement to hatred, and the entrenchments with the far right that emerged during the campaign. The SVP is becoming increasingly extremist. It is flouting several fundamental principles of liberal democracy that should be shared by all parties. However, right-wing populism becomes truly dangerous when other parties adopt its methods and move closer to them instead of clearly distancing themselves from them. A coalition for an open and progressive Switzerland is urgently needed.

Despite a racist election campaign and an increasingly extremist political style, the SVP is making clear gains at the ballot box. This worries us. Not because the party now has a few more seats in parliament and can block further progress, but because this success will trivialise racist and inflammatory campaign methods.

No trivialisation

It must not become normal to call queer people “sick”, to let far-right extremists manage campaign accounts on social networks or to pose with them for a photo in the Federal Palace as president of Switzerland's largest party.

In 2011, the SVP wrote "Kosovars stab Swiss citizens" on a poster. The outcry was immense. Today, the SVP is once again abusing police reports by systematically presenting isolated cases as the norm. There is no outcry. We simply got used to racism being trivialised. And it could be even worse: to produce the same effect, the party will need ever more rough attacks and shock images.

We refuse to get used to the SVP's methods. This normalisation shifts the discourse and gives a dangerous boost to right-wing populism in many European countries.

No rapprochement with the SVP

Today's election result must also be seen in a pan-European context. The SVP has been one of the main forerunners of right-wing populism and is a model for many populist and extremist parties, not least Germany's AfD. Today, the far right is on the rise in several European countries, and developments in Germany are particularly worrying. And at the core of it all: the SVP.

Right-wing populists become truly dangerous when other parties take up their demands. And this is already happening in Switzerland. The biggest mistake after these elections would be for the conservative parties to move even closer to the SVP. On the other hand, if we treat the SVP for what it is - an extremist outsider - it will remain a minority, even with almost 30% of votes. It is vital for Swiss liberals to distance itself from the SVP. Behind its conservative façade lies a populist, almost extremist party.

A coalition for an open and progressive Switzerland

Through its discursive hegemony, the SVP is already succeeding in ensuring that crucial political issues such as EU policy remain at a standstill. If we are not to leave the stage to the far right, we must defend and extend our rights and freedoms. In particular, we need to tackle fundamental issues such as Europe and political rights.

A coalition for an open and progressive Switzerland is urgently needed, despite the fundamental differences that may exist on certain issues. To counter attacks such as the SVP's initiatives against immigration, to downsize public radio and TV, or to allegedly promote "neutrality", Switzerland needs a strong progressive coalition to defend the liberal achievements. This is possible despite the SVP's electoral advance, particularly if conservative parties give up their alliance with the far right.

Operation Libero: "Now more than ever".

As a political movement that defends fundamental rights and fights right-wing populism through a liberal approach, we believe that our commitment is more necessary than ever. We will continue to push back the attacks on liberal achievements. And go one step further: at the same time, we want to move Switzerland forward with our own initiatives and promote our vision of a progressive Switzerland.

We are working to build a broad alliance to break the deadlock in EU policy through a popular initiative that would anchor its objectives in the Federal Constitution. Eleven organisations already support the Europe Initiative.

Since May, we have also been collecting signatures for the Democracy Initiative, which tackles a fundamental challenge for liberal democracy, particularly in the context of elections: Switzerland currently excludes around a quarter of the permanent resident population from the political decision-making process and from equal political rights. Including these fellow citizens in the democratic process is essential if Switzerland is to be a democracy worthy of the name.