How political parties are courting the votes of the Swiss Abroad

In the run-up to the October 2023 federal elections the biggest Swiss parties are reacting to the growing weight of the emigrant community. All now have either an international section or a network for supporters. A dozen men and women gathered together in Switzerland’s capital city, Bern, in late summer 2022. They worked doggedly, had lively discussions with like-minded people online – and finally lined up at the end of the meeting to take a group selfie, with everyone grinning and giving a thumbs-up. What was going on? The Liberal Green Party was launching its international section, GLP International. The party felt it was a logical step, as Liberal Green candidates had already achieved noticeable success in the previous federal elections, in 2019. Founding a section in a small group like this is evidence of a broader trend: the political parties in Switzerland with the largest voting base are leading the way by attaching increasing weight to the role of the Swiss Abroad who...