Blocher’s long march to the top stopped

The Swiss parliament has thrown a spanner in the works: by refusing to re-elect populist rightwing politician Christoph Blocher to the seven-member cabinet, the federal assembly has decided his brand of politics is no longer acceptable. Instead, a temporary alliance of Greens, Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, along with a support cast of Radicals has chosen another member of Blocher’s People’s Party for the government – and a woman to boot – Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, canton Graubünden’s finance minister. The People’s Party says that it will now become an opposition party and that if any of its members besides Blocher is elected to cabinet, it will turn its back on them. Widmer-Schlumpf has accepted the job despite the threats/blackmail. Blocher’s dream of becoming president in 2009 has evaporated as well…

Swiss politics