 | |
| President | Philipp Matthias Bregy |
| Members in Federal Council | Martin Pfister |
| Founded | 1 January 2021 (2021-01-01) |
| Merger of | Christian Democratic People's Party Conservative Democratic Party |
| Youth wing | Young Centre / Centre Youth German:Die Junge Mitte French:Jeunes du Centre Italian:Giovani del Centro Romansh:Il Giuven Center |
| Ideology | Christian democracy[1] Conservatism |
| Political position | Centre tocentre-right |
| European affiliation | European People's Party (associate) |
| Colours | Orange |
| Slogan | Freedom. Solidarity. Responsibility. |
| Federal Council | 1 / 7 |
| National Council | 29 / 200 |
| Council of States | 15 / 46 |
| Cantonal executives | 40 / 154 |
| Cantonal legislatures | 425 / 2,544 |
| Website | |
| die-mitte le-centre | |
The Centre (German:Die Mitte;French:Le Centre;Italian:il Centro;Romansh:il Center) is acentre[2] tocentre-right[3]political party in Switzerland. It was formed through the merger of theChristian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (CVP/PDC) and theConservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP/PBD). Following the formal merger of the parties on 1 January 2021,[4] it has 29 of 200 seats in theNational Council and 15 of 46 seats in theCouncil of States.Martin Pfister is the party's representative on theFederal Council.
TheChristian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (CVP) was founded in 1912 as the Catholic Conservative Party of Switzerland, becoming the Conservative-Christian-Social People's Party in 1957. In 1970, the name changed to the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland.[5] Over time, the party's dependence on Catholic and rural voters resulted in a deterioration of its vote share nationally, but most especially in urban areas. In the four largest cantons ofZürich,Bern,Vaud andAargau, the CVP held only three of 94 seats in the National Council.[5] It later ceded one of its two seats on theFederal Council to the SVP in accordance with theMagic formula used to derive party strength on the nation's executive.[6] From the1995 election to the2019 election, the CVP's vote share decreased from 16.8% to 11.4%.[7] After the2003 election,Ruth Metzler of the CVP, was replaced byChristoph Blocher of the Swiss People's Party on theFederal Council, leaving the CVP with only one seat in the country's executive.[8]
TheConservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP) was founded on 1 November 2008 after moderate members of theSwiss People's Party (SVP), who supported the election ofEveline Widmer-Schlumpf over SVP leaderChristoph Blocher to the Federal Council, were expelled by the national SVP and formed the new party.[9][10] It remained a regional party with strength in Bern,Glarus andGrisons, but little support elsewhere in the country.[11][12]
The parties had discussed apolitical alliance similar to that of theCDU/CSU in Germany from 2012 to 2014, but those negotiations failed. BDP PresidentMartin Landolt openly discussed a merger after the 2019 elections when both parties saw their share of the vote drop from 2015.[13] The parties agreed to a merger in September 2020 and both ratified the merger during 2020.[14][15][16][17] The primary opposition to the change was among members who did not want to drop the "Christian" affiliation for the party.[5] Cantonal parties were not required to adopt the new name if they do not wish to do so.[7] However, the parties will be asked to make a decision on the name within five years of the national change. The party in theCanton of Valais rejected the change, voting to remain as the CVP.[18] The CVP of Aargau, however, moved forward before the national party and contested the November 2020 elections to theGrand Council of Aargau as "CVP – Die Mitte".[19]
The Centre aims to promote Switzerland’s unity, seek compromise, and focus on solving problems rather than exploiting them for political gain. It positions itself between the left and right, which it sees as drifting ever further apart, and opposes the growing polarization of the country’s politics.[20]
According to its statutes, the party is guided by Christian and conservative democratic values, seeking to foster the development of society and the state on the basis of individual freedom, support for families in all their forms, equal opportunities, and solidarity. It advocates for a competitive yet socially responsible economy, the responsible use of natural resources, and the lawful, accountable exercise of governmental authority. The Centre supports federalism and subsidiarity, the strengthening of Swiss national unity, and cooperation with other countries to safeguard independence, security, and the promotion of peace in Europe and beyond.[21]
In the2019 Swiss federal election, the CVP tallied 11.6% of the vote for the National Council with 25 members, while the BDP won 2.4% and had three members. For elections to the Council of States, the CVP had 13 members. Combined, The Centre has 28 members in the National Council, placing it in a tie for fourth-largest in the lower house. It retains its status as the largest party in the upper house.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 359,075 | 14.06 (#4) | 29 / 200 | New |
While the centrist The Center party maintained its score at 14.6 percent (29 seats), the liberal FDP party suffered a small loss, losing one seat.
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