20.10.2019 23:50
Initial projections suggest Green Party and Green Liberal Party make huge gains.
The green parties in Switzerland have performed well in the parliamentary elections of Sunday, according to the initial reports by a research institution.
The GfS Bern projected that the Green Party (GP) increased its votes to 13%, achieving its greatest success, 6% more than the 2015 elections.
Green Liberal Party's (GLP) votes are expected to hit 7.6%, the GLP drew 4.6% of the votes in 2015 elections.
The country's anti-immigration Swiss People's Party (SVP), on the other hand, suffered 3.8% votes in the election but remained as the leading party. SVP drew 29.4% in the previous elections.
Social democrats are expected to come second in the elections with 18.8% of the votes.
Lukas Golder, an official of the GfS Bern, viewed the green parties' success as a surprise that surpassed the expectations.
Around 5.4 million voters hit the ballot boxes to elect 200-member National Council and 46-member Council of States.
*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas -