The canton of Solothurn has held an election and the result marks a political turning point. For the first time in over 100 years, the FDP is no longer the dominant force in the cantonal council. The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has made a significant gain and takes the lead with 25 seats.
This puts it ahead of the Social Democratic Party (SP) with 21 seats and the FDP with 20 seats, which lost two mandates. The Greens (9 seats, -1) and the Liberal Green Party (4 seats, -2) also suffered losses, while the Centre Party (20 seats) and the Evangelical People’s Party (1 seat) maintained their positions.
SVP President Rémy Wyssmann expressed satisfaction:
“We have succeeded in gaining, I am relieved. We could mobilize, despite apparently low voter turnout.”
This was achieved despite a low voter turnout of only 35 percent. Wyssmann values the result as a guiding force for the coming years.
SP stable, FDP with historic setback
The Social Democratic Party (SP) managed to slightly improve and gained an additional seat, remaining the second-strongest force with 21 mandates. The FDP, on the other hand, had to face a historic setback: after more than a century at the top, it was overtaken by the SVP.
Party President Stefan Nünlist tried to put a positive spin on the result:
“We are approaching the national results, where the SVP has already been the strongest bourgeois force for a long time. Under the surface, the free camp was even strengthened.”
The Green Liberal Party (GLP) was hit particularly hard, losing two seats and thereby losing its parliamentary strength.
Party President Armin Egger announced that he would be exploring coalition options:
“All options are open. It depends on which party would hold the corresponding committee seats for us.”
The Greens also lost a seat and must reorient their strategy.
No candidate could reach the required 32,351 votes in the first round. The best result was achieved by Sandra Kolly (Centre) with 32,100 votes, followed by Susanne Schaffner (SP) and Peter Hodel (FDP).
The SVP’s Sibylle Jeker surprisingly finished fourth with 28,600 votes, while the Greens’ Daniel Urechen had the worst result with 22,700 votes. FDP candidate Marco Lupi also struggled, finishing seventh and having to worry about his chances.
The second round will take place on April 13 – then the relative majority will decide who will enter the government.