parochial boy
parochial_boy
Junior Chimp
Posts: 5,142
Political Matrix
E: -8.38, S: -6.78
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« on: January 02, 2017, 01:22:54 PM » |
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In Switzerland, the main cleavages have traditionally been language and religion, with the Francophone and protestant areas traditionally being more left wing and socially liberal.
While the language divide has, if anything, been exacerbated in recent times (especially over votes on immigration, which have caused some of the only tension between Germans and French that I have ever seen); the religious divide does seem to be on the way out. It was protestant cantons that were the first to embrace the rise of the UDC and, arguably the most left wing canton in the country, Jura, is both catholic and votes well to the left of the majority protestant runp that remained in Bern at the time of the secession.
Catholic areas (notably the Valais, Appenzell Inner Rhodes and the Waldenstatten) are still the most conservative areas of the country, but this is down to the new major divide, predictably between urban and rural areas. For example, all 8 of the country's biggest cities voted for the PS at the last federal election, including Lucerne and St Gall, which would traditionally be seen as very conservative towns.
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