Federal Democratic Union

Federal Democratic Union
Establishment date:	1975
Place of foundation:	Tuna
Ideology:	National conservatism , religious rights , EU skepticism
Presidium:	Hans Moser
Vice Presidium:	Roland Haldimann
Members:	3,000 (as of 2011)
Proportion of women:	in the National Council: 0% (as of 2019)
Share of voters:	1.0% (as of: National Council election 2019 )
National Council:	1/200
Council of States:	0/46
Cantonal parliaments:	19/2609 (As of November 2019)
Cantonal Governments:	0/154 (As of November 2019)
Party structure:	20 cantonal parties
Groupings:	Young EDU (JEDU)
Website:	www.edu-schweiz.ch

The Federal Democratic Union (EDU) ( French Union Démocratique Fédérale , Italian Unione Democratica Federale , Romansh Uniun democratica federala ) is a Christian and nationally conservative political party in Switzerland .

introduction

EDU Switzerland was founded in 1975 and sees itself as a value-oriented and biblical party. The EDU was represented in the National Council between 1991 and 2011 and currently has 20 cantonal members of parliament in five cantons. Christian Waber represented the EDU in the National Council from 1997 to 2009 and was its best-known exponent, who was particularly known for his commitment against abortion, against same-sex marriage and for an abstinence-oriented drug policy. The EDU explicitly describes itself as a Christian party. According to the statutes of the EDU, its members are guided by the following principles: «Think, speak and act in faith in Jesus Christ and in trust in the Bible as God's word; truthful, non-commercial information. " The official party organ is in the German-speaking Switzerland of EDU-position (circulation 24,500) and in the French-speaking the EDU impulsion (edition 4000).

Content profile

The EDU has a clearly conservative profile, especially in social and foreign policy. In most cantons, the EDU often agrees with the bourgeois camp, and sometimes with the left-green on social and environmental issues. At the national level, the EDU formed a parliamentary group with the EPP between 2003 and 2007 ; from 2009 to 2011, EDU National Councilor Andreas Brönnimann was a member of the SVP parliamentary group , to which the incumbent National Councilor Andreas Gafner also belongs. The Smartvote profiles of the 2019 National Council elections indicated that the EDU candidates cover a relatively broad political spectrum, ranging from moderate left to very right conservatism.

In 2015, the EDU formulated six core topics that summarize the most important positions of the EDU:

Core topics of the EDU : For life, For the family, For people, For Switzerland, For those at risk, For security of supply.

In its core issues, the EDU calls for a reduction in the number of abortions and more support for families. She speaks out against active euthanasia and pre-implantation diagnostics . By reducing the demand for sex for sale, human trafficking is to be combated more intensely and drug policy is to be more abstinence-oriented. The EDU wants to defend Switzerland's Judeo-Christian heritage and is committed, for example, to maintaining the Swiss Psalm as the national anthem. The EDU speaks out vehemently against joining the EU and shows solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people.

In its 2011–2015 action program, the EDU commented on other political issues.

Social policy

In social issues , the EDU advocates strengthening parents who look after their children themselves. For them, the following applies: "The most important caregivers of the child are ideally the parents". That is why she supported the family initiative , which also requires tax deductions for parents who look after their children themselves. In addition, it demands solidarity contributions from employed people without children, targeted tax relief for lower and medium incomes of families with children and higher child allowances. The EDU criticizes gender equality policy as «neglecting children». It also rejects equating homosexual and heterosexual marriages. The EDU also campaigns against abortion , euthanasia and the exploitation of women through sexist advertising. For example, the EDU calls for abortions to be financed privately instead of public funds, and for “death tourism” to be banned. The EDU also advocates an “abstinence-oriented drug policy ” and a smoking ban in restaurants and bars.

Foreign policy

In foreign policy , the EDU takes a position critical of the EU , UN and NATO . The EDU describes the EU as a “supernational sham democracy” which does not correspond to Switzerland's direct democracy. That is why the EDU refuses to join the EU. She sees the bilateral route as an alternative , whereby only treaties that are opportune for Switzerland are advocated. Since the EDU sees an integration problem in the increased immigration and in order to increase security, it would like to adapt the free movement of persons and the Schengen-Dublin Agreement with the EU. The EDU also advocates permanent neutrality . The EDU criticizes the Federal Council's position on the Middle East conflict as one-sided. She criticized the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs under Micheline Calmy-Rey for the reception of Hamas on July 16, 2009 and the tolerant attitude towards the Iranian President Ahmadinejad after his controversial speech against Israel at the anti-racism conference in Geneva . The EDU demands that the Swiss embassy be relocated to the Israeli capital Jerusalem and sees Jerusalem including East Jerusalem as belonging to Israel. She is critical of the recognition of the State of Palestine . The EDU is against foreign missions by the Swiss Army .

Environmental policy

In environmental policy , the EDU does not see the real problem in climate change, but in general in the enormous consumption of resources and energy. The EDU is calling for the climate cent and the CO ₂ tax to be replaced by a specific, temporary incentive tax on the mineral oil tax for fossil fuels (petrol, etc.). The income from this incentive tax should be used to promote renewable energy sources (e.g. water, wind, solar energy, etc.) and improve energy efficiency . In the long term, the EDU would like to get out of nuclear energy. The EDU wants to strengthen public transport, but only implement major new projects if the financing is secured.

Social policy

In terms of social policy , the EDU would like to make the retirement age more flexible in order to secure the AHV . People who voluntarily work longer than 65 should receive a higher AHV pension. If necessary, not the value added tax, but the wage deductions and contributions of the federal government should be increased. In order to reduce the losses of the disability insurance , the wage contributions should be increased and the entitlement of the disability pensions that have been added in the last five to ten years should be checked again. Financial incentives should be created for employers to employ more people with limited capabilities.

history

Election results of the EDU in national council elections

year	%	Seats	elected
1975	0.35%	0
1979	0.25%	0
1983	0.39%	0
1987	0.92%	0
1991	1.00%	1	Werner Scherrer (BE)
1995	1.30%	1	Werner Scherrer (BE)
1999	1.25%	1	Christian Waber (BE)
2003	1.26%	2	Christian Waber (BE) Markus Wäfler (ZH)
2007	1.28%	1	Christian Waber (BE)
2011	1.26%	0
2015	1.19%	0
2019	1.05%	1	Andreas Gafner (BE)

In 1975 the EDU was founded on the initiative of Werner Scherrer . Werner Scherrer gained political notoriety in the early 1970s for his commitment against the lifting of the Jesuit ban in the federal constitution. The founders of the EDU were made up of members of the Evangelical People's Party in the canton of Bern and the National Action against Foreign Immigration of People and Homeland (today Swiss Democrats ) as well as the republicans in the cantons of Zurich and Vaud , including the republican national councilor Wilfried Naegeli .

The first party organ of the EDU was the paper Eidgenoss by Max Wahl . The latter was excluded from the same in 1983 because of his anti-Semitism . Since 1981 a separate party newspaper has been published with the EDU standpoint .

In 1978 Werner Scherrer won his first mandate in the Grand Council of the Canton of Bern. In the same year, the EDU Kanton Bern launched a popular initiative that wanted to ban “the public exposure of female breasts” (in response to topless bathing in the Marzilibad in Bern ). The popular initiative was declared invalid for formal reasons.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the EDU grew particularly in the environment of conservative free church groups, both traditional and newly founded. The language of the EDU at that time was characterized by a directive tone and, due to the interest in dispensationalism, an eschatological tone. In the canton of Bern, the EDU was able to record its first successes at the ballot box in the 1980s. In 1984 the EDU won the referendum it had launched against the revised Film Act. In 1986 the EDU constitutional initiative against double mandates for executive politicians was approved by the electorate. In 1989 the EDU won another referendum against the law on the recognition of religious communities.

In 1991, EDU President Werner Scherrer was the first member of the EDU to be elected to the National Council. In the same year the EDU fought against Switzerland's participation in the UN blue helmet troops. In 1995, the EDU elected a new party president, the Bernese Grand Council and later National Councilor Christian Waber . In addition to the trade unions, the SP, the Greens and the EPP, the EDU also supported the 1996 referendum against the revised labor law (relaxation of the rules on night and Sunday work) and spoke out against “limitless consumption options”. The referendum was successful, the labor law was rejected by 67% in the referendum.

In 1998, the Federal Democratic Union launched a referendum against the federal decree on the medical prescription of heroin (extended heroin dispensing) out of concern about the, in their view, disastrous development of drug policy. In the 1990s, new cantonal sections were founded in various cantons. In 2003 , the EDU won a second National Council seat with Markus Wäfler from the Canton of Zurich. In the Swiss parliamentary elections in 2007 on October 21, 2007, the EDU was able to maintain its 1.3 percent share of the vote, but lost its seat in the Zurich National Council. In the Swiss parliamentary elections in 2011 , the EDU also had to give up its seat in the canton of Bern and was no longer represented in the National Council until 2019.

In 2005, the EDU, together with the EPP, launched a referendum against partnerships between same-sex couples ( Partnership Act ) with 67,000 signatures . However, the law was passed on June 5, 2005 by 58 percent of the vote. Since the beginning of May 2007, members of the EDU have supported the minaret initiative , which called for a construction ban on minarets. The initiative was adopted on November 29, 2009. On April 4, 2008, the EDU unanimously decided to launch a referendum against the revised Narcotics Act and the permanent anchoring of medical heroin distribution contained therein. With the support of other organizations and some members of the SVP, the referendum took place on July 7, 2008. In the referendum vote on November 30, 2008, however, this law was passed with 68.1 percent yes votes.

Mandates in the National Council

EDU share of votes

In the founding year 1975, the EDU was briefly represented in the National Council thanks to Winifried Naegeli's conversion to the party. For the first time, the EDU was able to achieve a seat on its own list in the Swiss parliamentary elections in 1991 with Werner Scherrer from Bern. He represented the EDU as a non-attached National Council until 1997. His successor was Christian Waber . Between 1999 and 2003, it belonged to a joint parliamentary group with the three EPP National Councilors and the former LdU National Councilor Roland Wiederkehr, who was not part of the party. Between 2003 and 2007 the EDU was represented with two representatives in the National Council (Waber and Markus Wäfler from Zurich). Together with the three national councils of the Evangelical People's Party (EPP) it formed a parliamentary group. In the Swiss parliamentary elections in 2007 , the EDU lost its Zurich seat in the National Council . Christian Waber resigned on August 31, 2009 and was replaced by Andreas Brönnimann . Brönnimann became a member of the SVP parliamentary group . Waber had also listened to this for a short time, but then left the parliamentary group when the SVP decided to join the opposition as a result of Christoph Blochers being voted out of the Federal Council .

Although the EDU was able to maintain its nationwide share of the vote in the 2011 parliamentary elections with 1.3 percent, the share of votes in the canton of Bern was not sufficient to hold the seat there. Thus, Andreas Brönnimann and the EDU resigned from the National Council. The party also remained without a seat in the 2015 National Council elections . In 2019 , the EDU was able to move back into the National Council despite a slight loss of votes . In the canton of Bern, Andreas Gafner was elected thanks to a list between the EDU and various small parties.

Mandates in the cantons

The EDU is represented in the cantons of the cantons of Aargau (two seats), Bern (five seats), Schaffhausen (two seats), Ticino (one seat), Thurgau (five seats) and Zurich (three seats).

The EDU forms its own parliamentary groups in the cantons of Bern and Thurgau; in the cantons of Aargau, Schaffhausen, Ticino and Zurich, the EDU members belong to the SVP parliamentary group.

year	National Council	Cantonal parliaments
		ZH	BE	LU	UR	SZ	OW	NW	GL	ZG	FR	SO	BS	BL	SH	AR	AI	SG	GR	AG	TG	TI	VD	VS	NE	GE	JU
2007	1.3	2.8		n / A.										0.3		*	*					0.4	0.9
2008					n / A.	n / A.							0.6		2.3			0.3			3.9
2009												0.3								1.8				n / A.	n / A.	n / A.
2010			4.4				n / A.	n / A.	0.3	n / A.									*								0.7
2011	1.3	2.6		n / A.							n / A.			n / A.		n / A.	*					0.3
2012					n / A.	n / A.							0.4		3.5			0.6		1.7	4.6		0.5
2013												0.4												n / A.	n / A.	n / A.
2014			4.1				n / A.	n / A.	n / A.	n / A.									*
2015	1.2	2.7		n / A.										n / A.		n / A.	*					0.6					0.9
2016					n / A.	n / A.					n / A.		0.1		3.9			0.4		1.8	4.6
2017												0.2											0.2	n / A.	n / A.
2018			3.7				n / A.	n / A.	n / A.	n / A.									*							n / A.
2019	1.0	2.3		n / A.										n / A.		n / A.	*					0.7
2020					n / A.	n / A.							...		...			0.4		...	4.4						...
Legend: * - Landsgemeinde or major elections / community assemblies in several / all constituencies; ... - zuk. Elections in the current year; red - entry into parliament; n / A. - not started; Election results in percent; Source:

Current policy

On May 8, 2010, the EDU unanimously decided to support the two federal popular initiatives “ Family initiative : tax deductions also for parents who look after their children ” and “Abortion financing is a private matter - relief of health insurance by removing the costs of abortion from compulsory basic insurance” . Both initiatives were submitted in June 2011.

On August 27, 2011, the EDU delegates decided to launch the SVP's popular initiative “Against mass immigration” and the two family initiatives “ For marriage and family - against the marriage penalty” and “Strengthen families! Tax-free child and education allowances »of the CVP .

On January 12, 2013, the EDU delegates decided to support the federal popular initiative “Save our Swiss gold” and the referendum against the amendment of the federal law on work in industry, trade and commerce (Labor Law, ArG).

In 2015, the EDU delegates almost unanimously passed the no-slogan to legalize pre-implantation diagnostics . The EDU also announced that it would support the referendum against the revised Reproductive Medicine Act.

people

Party presidents

The following politicians were party presidents of the Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland:

• 1979–1989: Peter Rust
• 1989–1995: Werner Scherrer
• 1995–2001: Christian Waber
• 2001–2020: Hans Moser
• since 2020: Daniel Frischknecht

See also

• Federal Democratic Union Zurich
• Federal Democratic Union Aargau

Web links

• Website of the Federal Democratic Union
• Portrait: EDU - Federal Democratic Union on VIMENTIS

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The federal government in brief 2011. Accessed on June 15, 2020 . , Page 21  
2. ↑ The two faces of the EDU. In: NZZ Online . July 16, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2010 . 
3. ↑ smartvote. Retrieved November 27, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Support children early - but how? In: jesus.ch. July 1, 2010, accessed July 5, 2010 . 
5. ^ Struggle for equality for women. In: Berner Zeitung . March 3, 2010, accessed June 15, 2010 . 
6. ^ Opinion on Palestine and Jerusalem. In: edu-schweiz.ch.
7. ↑ EDU wants to do without atomic energy. In: Bieler Tagblatt . April 2, 2011, accessed April 13, 2011 . 
8. ↑ Thomas Schraner: The false start of those who are faithful to the Bible , Switzerland on the weekend of April 2, 2017.
9. ^ Année politique suisse 1975, political parties
10. ↑ ^{a b} http://texte.efb.ch/adpp.htm
11. ↑ Thomas Feuz: Our basis remains the same. Idea, Belp August 26, 2015, pages 10-13
12. ↑ http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/sendung/tagesgespraech/2782.sh10187711.html
13. ↑ http://www.anneepolitique.ch/APS/de/APS_1996/APS1996_I_7_a.html
14. ↑ http://www.politik-stat.ch/nrw2007CH_de.html
15. ↑ National Council elections 2011 ( Memento from December 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
16. ↑ http://www.swissvotes.ch/votes/view/555/list
17. ^ Jungfrau Zeitung: The new one for the Bernese Oberland. October 21, 2019, accessed October 22, 2019 . 
18. ^ Federal Statistical Office: Cantonal parliamentary elections: distribution of mandates according to parties and canton
19. ^ Parliamentary groups in the Grand Council of the Canton of Thurgau. (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: parlament.tg.ch. Canton of Thurgau, archived from the original on June 4, 2016 ; accessed on June 4, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
20. ^ Federal Statistical Office: Cantonal parliamentary elections: party strengths with allocation of mixed lists to the parties
21. ^ EDU for immigration and family initiatives from SVP and CVP. In: NZZ Online . August 27, 2011, accessed August 27, 2011 .