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Green Party of Switzerland
Green Party of Switzerland
German name	Grüne Partei der Schweiz (GPS)
French name	Les verts – Parti écologiste suisse (PES)
Italian name	I Verdi – Partito ecologista svizzero (PES)
Romansh name	La Verda – Partida ecologica svizra
President	Ueli Leuenberger
Members of the Swiss Federal Council	None
Founded	May 28, 1983
Headquarters	Waisenhausplatz 21; CH-3011 Bern
Ideology	Green politics
International affiliation	Global Greens
European affiliation	European Green Party
Official colours	Green
Website
	www.gruene.ch
	Politics of Switzerland; Political parties; Elections Swiss Federal Council; Federal Chancellor; Federal Assembly; Council of States (members); National Council (members); Voting

The Green Party of Switzerland (German: Grüne Partei der Schweiz; French: Les verts – Parti écologiste suisse; Italian: I Verdi – Partito ecologista svizzero; Romansh: La Verda – Partida ecologica svizra; "The Greens – Swiss ecological party") is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest not represented on the Federal Council.

[edit] History

The first Green party in Switzerland was founded as a local party in 1971 in the town of Neuchâtel. In 1979 Daniel Brélaz was elected to the National Council as the first Green MP on the national level. Local and regional Green parties and organisations were founded in many different towns and cantons in the following years.

In 1983, two different national green party federations were created: in May, diverse local green groups came together in Fribourg to form the Federation of Green Parties of Switzerland, and in June, some left-alternative groups formed the Green Alternative Party of Switzerland in Bern. In 1990, an attempt to combine these organisations failed. Afterwards, some of the member groups from the Green Alternative Party joined the Federation of Green Parties which has become the de facto national Green party. In 1993, the Federation of Green Parties changed its name to the Green Party of Switzerland.

In 1986 the first two Green members of a cantonal government become members of the Regierungsrat of Bern.

In 1987, the Green Party of Switzerland joined the European Federation of Green Parties.

In the 1990s, members of the Green Party became town mayors, members of the high court and even president of a cantonal government (Verena Diener in 1999).

[edit] Policies

The traditional emphasis of the party's politics lie in environmentalism and transportation policy. In terms of foreign policy, the greens set out on the course of openness and pacifism. In economic policy, the greens are center left. The majority of greens support an accession of Switzerland to the European Union. In immigration policy, the greens support further integration initiatives for immigrants. The greens support raising energy prices. According to their policy, the resulting revenues should be allocated to public social insurance.

[edit] Popular support

Green Members of the National Council (200 seats)

1979 - 1 member
1983 - 4 members
1987 - 11 members, forming the fifth-largest faction
1991 - 14 members
1995 - 9 members (+ 2 other councilors joining the green faction)
1999 - 9 members (+ 1 other councilor)
2003 - 14 members (+ 1 other councilor)
2007 - 20 members (+ 1 other councilor)

On the national level, in 2003 the Green Party was not represented in the Council of States or Federal Council. In 2007, two Green Party members were elected to the Council of States.^[1]

By 2005, the party held 3.8 percent of the seats in the Swiss cantonal executive governments and 6.9 percent in the Swiss cantonal parliaments (index "BADAC", weighted with the population and number of seats). The Green Party is today (2007) represented in the governments of the cantons Bern, Basel-City, Geneva (two ministers), Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Vaud and Zug (two ministers).