New name and new logo – CVP will be called “Die Mitte” – News

• The party leadership of CVP Switzerland proposes to its members to change the party’s name “Die Mitte”.
• The logo must be an orange bracket.
• Party members will have the last word in a strike vote in October.

Under the new name, the party has put the terms freedom, solidarity and responsibility in the logo. The party upholds these three values, President Gerhard Pfister told the Bundeshaus media. The orange clasp on the logo holds together what goes together.

CVP wants to open up to new voters convinced of a consensus policy. “At a time when extreme positions are increasing, the point is to strengthen the medium,” Pfister said.

CVP has been losing voters for years. In 1995 the proportion of votes was 16.8 percent, in the last elections it was 11.4 percent.

Far from the C to win a share of the votes, especially in rural CVP home countries, this strategy is considered a mistake. “You must not forget that the CVP name creates identity, it has tradition, it has history,” says Franziska Biner, President of CVP Oberwallis.

‘People know what to build on. And now completely rebuilding a brand until it is exactly recognizable, that takes a long time. The question arises, why don’t we do something on the content first and then see if we have to rebrand? “.

Gerhard Pfister is also aware that a name change is not enough. “Just changing a name does not win voters, we have to show what we want with our politics and what we intend to do with Switzerland.”

The ballot decides

Vice President Ida Glanzmann spoke of a “historic day.” For the first time there will be a vote among all the members of CVP Switzerland. They may decide on the name change by voting by letter. CVP expects the result in late October, Glanzmann said. After that, the assembly of delegates would also have to accept the new name.

Legally, the strike vote refers exclusively to the national party. Cantonal parties are free to adopt the name or join the CVP. However, the leadership of the national party advises cantonal parties to change their names within the next four years if the vote is positive.

History of names in motion: from “Ruswiler Verein” to CVP

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At first there was a conservative popular movement that wanted to oppose the Liberal Cantonal Government in the canton of Lucerne. In 1840 this movement became the «Ruswil Association» founded.

In 1912, four attempts to convert the association into a national party had failed: in 1874 the “Association conservtrice suisse”, in 1881 the “Conservative Union”, a year later when the parliamentary group was formed and in 1894 the “Popular Catholic Party” .

It was not until April 22, 1912 that the founding congress of the national party took place in the Union Hall of Lucerne: “Swiss Conservative People’s Party” or short KVP was created.

The party was founded in 1957 “Popular Christian Social Conservative Party” or short KCV renamed because, according to the canton, conservative or social-Christian cantonal parties had been formed.

In the 1960s there was an adjustment to change in society. The KCV carried out a pragmatic opening, which eventually led to party reforms in 1970 and 1971. A new name was also sought. The proposals included the “Christian Democratic Union” and the “Swiss People’s Party”, but this name was adopted a year later by the then BGB, current senior vice president.

On December 12, 1970, the delegates in Solothurn then decided at the party congress “Christian Democratic People’s Party” today CVP was born.

According to BDP

When asked by a journalist, Pfister said that the BDP had accepted the new name. In early May, the CVP began official talks with the BDP about the possible formation of a new party. The decision on the merger must be made no later than the end of the year.

The CVP Switzerland delegates meeting takes place on Saturday. The name change is not an agenda item, but it should be a topic of conversation among the delegates.