Grand Council of Vaud election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 election to the Grand Council was held in the canton of Vaud
, Switzerland
, on 11 March 2007. All 150 members of the Grand Council
were elected for four-year terms, a reduction of 30 from the size of the previous legislature.
The Social Democratic Party
secured the largest number of seats once again; although it lost seven seats, its percent share of the seats remained constant. Despite the reduction in the size of the legislature, the populist
Swiss People's Party
and Green Party
both managed to gain seats.
The main losers were the two classical liberal
parties, the Free Democrats
and Liberals, who lost 15 and 11 seats respectively, reducing them from 42% of seats between them to 33%. The far left
À gauche toute! lost most of its seats. The Christian Democrats
, Green Liberals
, and Federal Democratic Union
formed a heterogeneous centrist
alliance called 'Alliance of the Centre', which won seven seats.
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, on 11 March 2007. All 150 members of the Grand Council
Grand Council of Vaud
The Grand Council of Vaud is the legislature of the canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. Vaud has a unicameral legislature. The Great Council has 150 seats, with members elected every four years....
were elected for four-year terms, a reduction of 30 from the size of the previous legislature.
The Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
secured the largest number of seats once again; although it lost seven seats, its percent share of the seats remained constant. Despite the reduction in the size of the legislature, the populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
Swiss People's Party
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
and Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
both managed to gain seats.
The main losers were the two classical liberal
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
parties, the Free Democrats
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
and Liberals, who lost 15 and 11 seats respectively, reducing them from 42% of seats between them to 33%. The far left
Far left
Far left, also known as the revolutionary left, radical left and extreme left are terms which refer to the highest degree of leftist positions among left-wing politics...
À gauche toute! lost most of its seats. The Christian Democrats
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
, Green Liberals
Green Liberal Party of Switzerland
The Green Liberal Party of Switzerland , abbreviated to glp, is a centrist Green liberal political party in Switzerland. Founded in 2007, the party holds five seats in the Federal Assembly....
, and Federal Democratic Union
Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland
The Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland is a political party in Switzerland....
formed a heterogeneous centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
alliance called 'Alliance of the Centre', which won seven seats.