Green parties have made strong gains in Switzerland’s parliamentary election, according to initial projections.
The anti-immigration Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is set to win, despite losing at least 3% of its support.
But projections show a combined vote for the two green parties of around 20%, which would make them major players in Swiss politics.
Their gains reflect voters’ concerns over climate change, seen as the dominant issue in this election.
Not all votes have been counted yet but the national broadcaster projected the Green Party’s share surged 5.6 points to 12.7% of the vote, while the smaller, more centrist Green Liberal Party (GLP) garnered 7.6%.
The Green Party looked set to overtake one of the parties in the coalition government, the Christian Democrats (CVP), and could for the first time get a seat in the coalition that governs Switzerland.
