Far-right party 'loses ground' in Swiss poll

[pampango]

Source: Aljazeera

Downturn in support for Swiss People's Party, which campaigned to stop influx of immigrants, partial results show.

The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), which campaigned to stop an influx of immigrants, appears to have seen a downturn in support in parliamentary elections as voters shifted their support to smaller new parties.

The SVP had sparked controversy during previous polls, with posters of three white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag leading a UN anti-racism expert to call for the withdrawal of the images.

This year, it has opted for an image of a crowd marching across the Swiss flag, with the slogan: "That's enough. Stop mass immigration."

The SVP was also responsible for the referendum which banned Islamic minarets in Switzerland. Now their plans for a referendum to deport foreign criminals will bring Switzerland in direct conflict with EU migration laws.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2011/10/2011102317433727219.html

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Hope the partial results hold and the trend at reversing right-wing gains in Europe continues.

[iandhr]

1. "The SVP was down 2.1 percentage points.

compared with the last election in 2007, Does not seem a major change.

[pampango]

2. True, but I hope it represents a continuing reversal in the popularity of the right

in Europe.

[harmonicon]

3. "...conflict with EU migration laws"?

Switzerland is not EU. I don't see what this has to do with anything.

[pampango]

4. You're right. Must have meant the Schengen Area which is largely, but not exclusively, EU countries.

Switzerland is a signatory to Schengen.

"The Schengen Area operates very much like a single state for international travel with border controls for those travelling in and out of the area, but with no internal border controls.

The Schengen rules were absorbed into European Union law by the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, although the area officially includes three non-EU member states—Iceland, Norway and Switzerland...

The Schengen Area currently consists of twenty-five states, all but three of which are members of the European Union (EU).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

Schengen rules are such a part of how the EU operates that many think of "no internal border controls" as just an EU thing.

[harmonicon]

5. Maybe, but that's just terrible writing then, as it makes no sense in either case.

Different Schengen states still have different immigration laws; a visa to live in Norway doesn't mean you can then move to Switzerland, for instance.

[pampango]

7. I think you're right. Within the EU you can live and work wherever you want, but the Schengen Area

works differently, so a Norwegian could travel freely to Switzerland but not necessarily live and work there.

[harmonicon]

8. It still depends on the Visa.

As a US citizen living in the UK on any kind of visa, the visa only applies to the UK. When it comes to living and working anywhere else in the EU I'm just another American who still would need the proper paperwork. However, my Cypriot friend can live anywhere in the EU no questions asked - no visas or work permits needed. Once either of us go to the Schengen area we can travel largely without interference, but once working became involved we'd be treated differently. These things really are just for commerce - even touchy-feely Europe doesn't care about the individual.

[pampango]

9. Yeah. The freedom to live and work anywhere in the EU only applies to citizens of EU countries.

It's different for non-EU citizens who have visas for particular EU countries as you can attest.

[pampango]

6. BBC: Poll jolt for Swiss anti-immigration People's Party

Switzerland's right-wing People's Party has seen its share of the vote fall at parliamentary elections, defying forecasts of a historic result.

It had campaigned on a tough anti-immigration platform, and had predicted it would receive an unprecedented 30% of the vote on Sunday.

But with the count nearly complete, it was set to get less than 27%.

Its calls to limit immigration strictly are now likely to be quietly ignored, a BBC correspondent says.

(video link to BBC report)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15425196