SWITZERLAND:Controversial Swiss politician Christoph Blocher has reacted to his ousting from the cabinet by leading his right-wing People's Party (SVP) into the political opposition, ending nearly half a century of cross-party consensus rule.
The move is likely to have dramatic political consequences for Swiss politics and for Mr Blocher, a wealthy businessman who polarised popular opinion with an abrasive, populistic style.
"I'm torn between relief, disappointment and outrage . . . thankfully, power in Switzerland does not lie primarily with the government," Mr Blocher said yesterday, noting that Switzerland had a "pleasant" system of referendums and initiatives capable of blocking government policy.
The future of the SVP, the country's largest party, was unclear last night. Some rank-and-file MPs expressed unhappiness about the move into opposition, raising the prospect of a party split. Mr Blocher said: "I don't believe there will be a party split but I can't prevent one happening."
The political earthquake began on Wednesday when the Social Democrats, the Green Party and the Christian Democrats joined forces to elect to the four-party cabinet an alternative SVP candidate to Mr Blocher.
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, a regional politician seen as a party moderate, was taken by surprise by her nomination.
But, after sleeping on it, she announced she would accept the cabinet position at Mr Blocher's expense, alongside her SVP colleague, defence minister Samuel Schmid.
The SVP party leadership responded swiftly by kicking the two ministers out of the party and entering opposition, breaking a power-sharing agreement in place since 1959.
The last time a Swiss political party entered opposition was in 1954, when the Social Democrats boycotted the government after they were denied a second cabinet seat.
Mr Blocher was credited with transforming the SVP from a farmers' party to the largest political grouping with pro-business policies favouring a smaller state and lower taxes.
But he came under sustained attack for consistently anti-immigrant policies. The United Nations anti-racism watchdog attacked the SVP for its toying with xenophobic stereotypes in election posters that showed black hands reaching for Swiss passports, and white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag.