Neutrality Initiative: Blocher's Potentially Last Major Battle
At 86, the SVP Doyen Fights for His Pet Project
At 86, Christoph Blocher enters what might be his final major ballot battle. He co-created, promoted, and co-financed the Neutrality Initiative, on which Switzerland votes on September 27, with over two million Swiss francs. For the SVP doyen, it is a matter close to his heart – he largely wrote the initiative text himself.
A Life's Work Nearing Completion
Few individuals have shaped Swiss politics in recent decades as much as Blocher. He transformed the SVP into the country's largest party and thwarted Switzerland's accession to the EEA in 1992. According to him, the idea of anchoring neutrality in the constitution has occupied him since the 1990s. It gained new relevance when Switzerland adopted EU sanctions following Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022.
About the Initiative's Core Demands
The initiative calls for permanent and armed neutrality. Switzerland would only be allowed to adopt sanctions if approved by the UNO – thus prohibiting the current Russia sanctions. This is precisely where the dispute arises: opponents refer to it as a "Pro-Putin initiative," while Blocher argues that only a strictly interpreted neutrality protects Switzerland from being drawn into foreign conflicts.
Blocher's Final Battle?
Blocher has increasingly withdrawn from public life in recent years, but he is making a significant public appearance for this cause once more – for example, at the Pro Switzerland federal celebration during the Tell Plays in Interlaken. What his legacy will be may also become clear on September 27.
