Sawt Falasteen - Hard right pledges pragmatism after Swiss election triumph

Final results published Monday showed the SVP took 28.6 percent of the vote on Sunday for the National Council lower house of parliament, improving its share by three percentage points.

"We defend freedom, security and independence," SVP president Marco Chiesa told the Tribune de Geneve newspaper.

"The citizens of this country have given a clear mandate to politics: to face reality and provide solutions."

The SVP left the left-wing Social Democrats trailing on 18 percent, while the centre-right party The Centre garnered 14.6 percent and the right-wing party called FDP.The Liberals 14.4 percent -- with all three chasing parties largely flatlining.

The Greens failed to replicate their dramatic 2019 election gains and slid back four percentage points to finish fifth on 9.4 percent.

Swiss politics relies on consensus and Chiesa said he hoped to forge alliances with other parties to address voters' concerns.

"The Swiss political system is stable. But it is clear that elections are marked by what happens in people's daily lives," the 49-year-old said.

"The fact is today there are nine million inhabitants in Switzerland and we are heading towards 10 million.

"I want to pursue a pragmatic policy: less political correctness, more issues that really concern people," he said, citing population growth, a secure energy supply and Swiss independence -- a key topic for a party that stands strongly for Switzerland's military neutrality and position outside the European Union.

Electors in the wealthy Alpine nation voted for all 200 seats in the National Council lower house of parliament by proportional representation and all 46 in the Council of States upper chamber, by majority vote.

In the National Council, the results left the SVP on 62 seats (up nine), ahead of the Social Democrats on 41 (up two).

The Centre, formed from a merger of previous parties, now has 29 seats and FDP.The Liberals 28.

The Greens have 23 seats (down five), and the Green Liberals 10 (down six).

D.Khalil--SF-PST