By KUNA
Geneva : In a historic event, the right wing leader Christoph Blocher, leader of the People’s Party nationalist wing, which dominates the party’s delegation to the Swiss National Council, was defeated in a secret ballot by members of the Swiss parliament for membership of the Swiss Federal Council.
Members of parliament applauded the result and Swiss bells tolled.
Parliament members elected Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf to the Federal Council, supported by the Socialist group. Parliament is awaiting her acceptance.
The Federal Council is formed of seven federal councils, up to the defeat of Blocher, three other members were elected to the Council, Micheline Calmy-Rey, Moritz Leunberger and Samuel Schmidt. Switzerland is a rotating presidency, therefore the current president Micheline Calmy-Rey will end her term on 31 December 2007, and however she will maintain her seat in Council.
Blocher is well known for being behind public campaigns, the most famous, was that of the banner of three white sheep kicking out one black sheep from the country.
He is well known for his resentment to foreigners and for joining the European Union (EU).
Blocher traditionally topped the poll in Zurich, and became Switzerland’s most prominent and controversial politician.
His political career was built through campaigning for a smaller government, a free-market economy, against Switzerland’s membership in the European Union and for a more tightly controlled immigration.
Blocher represented the canton of Zurich in the Swiss National Council from 1980 until his election to the federal council in 2003 as a deputy of the Swiss People’s Party.
In addition to the Zurich chapter of the Swiss People’s Party, he led a mass organization, the Action for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland.
He has frequently been compared by the media and his political opponents to figures such as Jean-Marie Le Pen in France and Jorg Haider in Austria.
The People’s Party emerged as the largest party in the National Council in the Swiss elections this year and in the Swiss elections of 19 October 2003.