The Liberal Party of Switzerland (German: Liberale Partei der Schweiz) or Swiss Liberal Party (French: Parti libéral suisse; Italian: Partito Liberale Svizzero; Romansh: Partida liberala svizra) was a political party in Switzerland with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) to form FDP.The Liberals.
It was strongest in the Protestant cantons in Romandy, particularly in Geneva, Vaud and Neuchâtel. In contrast, the ideologically similar FDP was successful nationwide. The Liberal Party was a member of Liberal International.
History
Founded in 1913, the Liberal Party initially had sections in Zürich, Schaffhausen, Fribourg, Grisons, and Bern, in addition to Romandy.[1] However, most of its sections were dissolved during the First World War, and by 1919 the party was confined to four cantons (Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Basel-City).[1] In the 1960s, the Liberal Party tried to expand its influence beyond the four cantons, renaming itself the "Liberal-Democratic Union" from 1961 to 1977 in order to attract members from other regions.[1] Although, since 1976, a Valais section had occupied a small place in the cantonal government, the party performed poorly in Basel-Country, Fribourg, Bern, Zurich.[1] For many years it was the largest party not represented in the Federal Council.[1]Gustave Ador, in office from 1917 to 1919, was the Liberal Party's only federal councilor.[1]
The party formed a parliamentary group with the Evangelical People's Party from 1971 to 1979.[1] After cooperating with moderate elements of the Swiss People's Party since 2000, the Liberal Party had a joint slate with the Free Democratic Party in the 2003 federal election.[1] The party was the junior partner of the faction, with only 2.2% of the vote compared with the FDP's 17.3%. However, in their strongholds of the cantons of Romandy and the canton of Basel-City, they were particularly successful. Their best performance was in Geneva, where they received 16.8% of the vote. It won four seats (out of 200) in the National Council, but was represented in neither the Council of States nor in the Federal Council, the government's cabinet.
The Liberal Party was committed to federalism and anti-statism, emphasizing individual responsibility.[1] While it was in favor of support for agriculture, the party believed that regional planning should not interfere with municipal autonomy or private property.[1] Its supporters were mainly drawn from the agricultural sector (especially winegrowers), industrial entrepreneurs, and the intelligentsia.[1] The party's leaders often came from the Zofingenstudent society and were close to employers' organisations.[1] Historically, it also had a strong Protestant influence.[1]
From 1919 to 1987, the number of Federal Assembly seats held by the Liberal Party varied between five and ten in the National Council and between one and three in the Council of States.[1] The party then experienced a period of favorable conditions before suffering a series of setbacks.[1] Its representation at the Federal Assembly fell from thirteen to four seats between 1991 and 2003.[1]
