Word: svp
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...proud as the Swiss are of their direct democracy, though, some have expressed concerns that the system can be abused by right-wing extremists seeking to push through anti-immigrant proposals. Last year, for instance, the Swiss People's Party (SVP) sponsored an initiative to ban the building of minarets on mosques - a proposal opponents decried as anti-Muslim and hateful. The ban was approved by more than 57% of voters, but there's been talk among Muslim groups about challenging it in court. The Swiss parliament can declare an initiative invalid only if it violates international law. This last...
...SVP today is by far the largest party of Switzerland. The participation in the vote was 54%, and your statement is an insult to 57% of the voters who said yes to the ban. They are not far right. They are simply Swiss and proud of it. Franz A. Salamon, THÔNEX, SWITZERLAND...
...other countries have learned - not least my own, which in June elected two far-right members to the European Parliament - pride and exceptionalism can easily morph into isolationism and xenophobia. The country's most popular political group is the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP). It won nearly 29% of the vote in the 2007 election with anti-immigration posters showing white sheep kicking black sheep off a flag-clad outline of Switzerland. The SVP is also driving a Nov. 29 referendum to ban the construction of new minarets. Listen to its leaders, and you would assume that...
...SVP's popularity shows, Switzerland has yet to make its peace with immigrants, despite how central to the economy they have been and - with a falling birth rate and aging population - are still. Postwar Switzerland was built by Italian "guest workers," many of whom eventually won the right to settle, and today perhaps a quarter of the nation's workforce are non-Swiss...
...Some analysts say that while the deeper issue of Muslims' assimilation into Swiss society must be addressed, the SVP's confrontational tactics are not the answer. "The dialogue is important because it alleviates fears and suspicion," says Stephane Lathion, president of the Group of Researchers on Islam in Switzerland and author of a book on the minaret debate. "But is provocation the only way to raise this sensitive issue and bring about tangible solutions?" (Read "Identity Crisis for the Swiss...