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The Thurgau parliament remains bourgeois, even if the SVP loses three seats. The Greens also lose.
The SVP, by far the strongest party in the Thurgau Grand Council, the cantonal parliament, had the election goal of gaining five seats to the existing 45 and gaining 50 of the 130 seats. The party is clearly missing this goal. On the contrary: the SVP even had to accept three seat losses. The party now has 42 seats.
It was generally expected that the SVP would be able to take the momentum from its victory in the national elections. The relatively low proportion of voters in the canton may have contributed to this – comparatively – poor result. Traditionally, the SVP is stronger with high voter turnout in rural Thurgau. The voter turnout was 30.4 percent.
As the second strongest force behind the SVP, the center can clearly hold its own against the FDP. In the last four years, both factions held 18 seats, now the center is gaining ground: it now has 21 seats (+3), the FDP 17 (-1). Mitte President Sandra Stadler: “It started three years ago with the name change. We became braver, we opened up.”
Behind the center is the SP, which, contrary to the national trend, is gaining quite a lot as the election winner and now holds 18 seats instead of the previous 14. Party president Marina Bruggmann says: “What happened today is simply great. It is a reward for our committed election campaign. We are very happy.”
Upright makes it into parliament
The Greens are among the losers, losing two seats. President Kurt Egger: “The current situation is not in our favor at the moment. Purchasing power, rising rents, health insurance premiums – these are things that are obvious to people. Biodiversity or energy issues are medium-term issues. People tend to choose the closer one.”
The EDU (+1) made slight gains and, with seven seats, is now ahead of the GLP (-3), which loses a third of its seats. The EPP holds its six mandates. Aufrecht was elected to a cantonal parliament for the first time; club president Robin Spiri now represents Aufrecht Thurgau in the Grand Council.