Swiss anti-immigration party loses support in election

The Swiss People's Party (SVP), which campaigned to stop an influx of immigrants, lost support in a parliamentary election on Sunday as voters, disillusioned with traditional politics, shifted their backing to smaller, fledgling parties.
The SVP lost some 2.1 percentage points from the last election in 2007 but was still on track to be the biggest party with 26.8 percent of the vote, according to a projection by Swiss television based on partial results.
In second place, the centre-left Social Democrats are seen winning 18.9 percent of the vote, 0.6 percentage points below their showing in the 2007 election, though they were set to increase by one their number of seats in parliament.
The centrist Free Democrats (FDP) and Christian Democrats (CDP) both lost ground, while the small Green Liberal Party (BLP) and the Conservative Democrats (BDP) - which broke away from the SVP in 2008 - were the main gainers.
The results suggest the appeal of the SVP's anti-immigration rhetoric is waning. The party plastered towns and cities with posters showing black feet storming over the Swiss flag with the slogan: "Now is enough! Stop mass immigration!"
Daniel Boschler, assistant professor in comparative politics at Zurich University, said the election campaign had focused less on migration than in previous years.
"Migration is still a really important concern and the reason that 27 percent of the population voted for them - they're still the strongest party. But there is no discussion on the EU and migration at this time."
It was the first time in 20 years that the SVP had failed to increase its share of the vote. The party had hoped to win the backing of some 30 percent of the voters, slightly more than its record performance in 2007, by exploiting fears that immigration is hurting the Alpine country's high standard of living.
The SVP has blamed foreigners, who make up some 22 percent of the 7.9 million population, for rising rents, crowded public transport and even rising electricity bills.
Last week the party said it had gathered the 100,000 signatures needed to call a referendum on curbing the number of immigrants by reintroducing quotas. This might contravene agreements Switzerland has with the European Union on the free movement of people.
The SVP has won referendums in recent years to ban the building of new minarets and to expel immigrants convicted of serious crimes, but its policies have angered some Swiss people. The party's mascot, a goat named Zottel, was kidnapped and painted black, in protest against its anti-immigration stance.