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Even within the SVP there was displeasure. According to the political scientist, the SVP has a system of provocation and apologies.
He is known as a provocateur: Andreas Glarner, National Councilor and President of the SVP Aargau. His manner offends, friend and foe alike. Most recently, he caused a stir with an article in the magazine “Schweizerzeit”. In it he blames the West for the war in Ukraine and calls on them to cede territories to Russia.
This was too much even for many SVP politicians. They publicly criticized Glarner. Earlier on, he had to be accused of being partly responsible for the fact that the SVP lost voters in the last elections in Aargau with his rough political style. The internal dispute was also an issue at the SVP Aargau party conference on Wednesday evening.
Family means loyalty.
The President of SVP Switzerland, Marco Chiesa, came to Aarau as a surprise. He called on his party friends to unite. «We are a unit. Family means loyalty, »said Chiesa and warned that problems within the party should also be discussed within and not through the media.
Legend:
Marco Chiesa traveled to Aarau. Aargau is also important for SVP Switzerland, because Aargau is a stronghold of the People’s Party. In the last National Council elections, the SVP achieved 31 percent of the voters here.
SRF / Mario Gutknecht
Andreas Glarner himself apologized for the article at the party congress and emphasized that it had been misunderstood. “You can’t understand Putin and you can never approve of a war,” Glarner told SRF. He was concerned with illuminating the historical context and presenting a proposed solution. Nevertheless, Andreas Glarner will refrain from making statements on international politics in the future, he emphasized.
The mixture of provocation and cooperation was the SVP’s recipe for success for a long time.
Andreas Glarner’s apology is just the latest in a whole series. SVP exponents like to provoke, not only Glarus. Provocative advertisements («Kosovars slit open Swiss») or poster campaigns (keywords such as sheep or minarets) are remembered. Most recently, SVP Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer had to put up with the accusation of provocation when he showed himself in a Trychler T-shirt. SVP politicians often apologize afterwards – such as Ueli Maurer or now Andreas Glarner.
Topic search for the 2023 election campaign
“This mixture of targeted provocation and serious cooperation has long characterized the SVP,” analyzes Sarah Bütikofer, a political scientist at the University of Zurich. For a long time this was also the recipe for success of the People’s Party. In recent years, however, the party has lost voter shares in many elections throughout Switzerland. Even the provocative politics against the corona measures have not yet reversed this trend, says Bütikofer.
A change in style is apparently not to be expected at the moment. This shows not only the debate about Glarner’s article, but also the attack on the “left-green parasite cities”. The new party president, Marco Chiesa, launched this topic last August 1st and argued in a deliberately provocative manner.
So there will likely be provocations in further election campaigns, and perhaps also one or the other excuse.
Echo of Time, April 14, 2022, 6:00 p.m.; braa, ledn