Christian Social Party (Switzerland)

Christian Social Party
German name	[Christlich-soziale Partei (CSP)] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
French name	[Parti chrétien-social (PCS)] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
Italian name	[Partito Cristiano Sociale (PCS)] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
Romansh name	[Partida cristiansociala de la Svizra (PCS)] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
President	Marius Achermann
Members of the Federal Council	None
Founded	21 June 1997
Headquarters	Eichenstrasse 79 3184 Wünnewil
Membership (2011)	1,500
Ideology	Christian left Social democracy Christian socialism
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	None
International affiliation	None
Colours	Turquoise
National Council	1 / 200
Council of States	0 / 46
Cantonal legislatures	15 / 2,608
Website
www.csp-pcs.ch
Politics of Switzerland Political parties Elections Swiss Federal Council Federal Chancellor Federal Assembly Council of States (members) National Council (members) Voting

The Christian Social Party (German: Christlich-soziale Partei; French: Parti chrétien-social) is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions. The core principles of the CSP contain, among others "solidarity with the socially and economically disadvantaged and the preservation of the environment."

Electoral power

The CSP only has one seat on the federal scale in the National Council of Switzerland, the lower house, and has always been representing the canton of Fribourg. Following the 2011 federal election, the CSP seat comes from the canton of Obwalden.

On a cantonal level, the CSP has many elected members, mainly in the Roman Catholic cantons of Valais, Fribourg, Obwalden and Jura. In the latter, the CSP had until late 2010 one elected member in the Executive body, the Conseil d'Etat of the Republic of Jura.

In the National Council of Switzerland, the party was part of the parliamentary group of the Greens until 2011, but has since been part of the Christian-Evangelical group together with CVP/PDC/PPD and EVP.

Orientation

The CSP is a center-left political party and has strong environmentalist views. It also has social values and aims for taxing richer people. On a societal point of view, it has very liberal views and acts in favour of abortion rights, same-sex relationships and euthanasia, which differs strongly with other common Christian political parties, which traditionally are conservative.

See also

• Christian left

External links

• Christian Social Party at swisspolitics.org
• Biography of Hugo Fasel, CSP member of parliament on the website of the Swiss Parliament. (German)
• Home page (in German); (in French)
• Umbrella organization including Freiburg chapter of the party (in German)
• CSP Jura (in French)
• CSP Näfels (in German)
• CSP Obwalden (in German)