Swiss right returns to government

The Swiss right-wing is back in the government tonight. But it is not party leader Christoph Blocher who has been re-elected to the cabinet, but the man he replaced as leader, Ueli Maurer. Maurer beat him to become the new defence minister. He was the man responsible for the black sheep advert at the last election, showing a white sheep kicking out foreigners. But parliamentarians deemed him a less divisive figure, even if he only won by a single ballot.

Swiss Socialist Ursula Wyss said: “This narrow result proves that he must really accomplish the change of roles which he promised, away from the party he is representing to the interests of the country first.” With only one seat on the seven man cabinet the right-wing says it is under-represented. This after one year of self-styled opposition in a country where powersharing between all parties is more normal.