Parties vie for Swiss Abroad votes with varied strategies

The number of Swiss Abroad is on the rise. But how are Swiss political parties responding to this development? For the first time, a survey reveals the transnational mobilisation strategies which parties are using to court Swiss voters abroad – and how successful they are in doing so. In 2023, around 11% of the Swiss population lived abroad, and the number continues to grow, according to Swiss foreign ministry statistics. All Swiss citizens living outside the country’s borders retain their voting rights, regardless of their location. As a result, no Swiss party can afford to ignore the electoral potential of the Swiss Abroad. This article first appeared on the website DeFacto. But what mobilisation strategies and election campaign tactics are local parties using to appeal to citizens living abroad? A systematic survey of the six largest Swiss political parties has, for the first time, provided insight. The findings show that, in the 2023 federal elections, the parties employed ...