Swiss People’s Party takes largest vote share in Fribourg election

The Swiss People’s Party topped Fribourg’s vote with 22.2%, marking a gain of around five percentage points compared with the previous parliamentary term. The result puts the right-wing party ahead of The Centre, which won 21.7%, in the cantonal election on Sunday.

The Social Democrats followed with 20.1%, while the Radical-Liberals took 16.6% and the Greens 9.4%. The vote shares put the People’s Party first among the parties, though the seat count leaves The Centre in front in the Grand Council, Fribourg’s cantonal parliament.

The broad balance between left and right remains fairly stable, according to the initial analysis reported by Keystone-SDA. The election therefore brings a clear shift in party rankings and a marked advance for the People’s Party, while the cantonal legislature’s overall political balance changes less sharply. Its new composition takes effect with the December session.

The People’s Party’s 22.2% share edged The Centre’s 21.7% by half a percentage point. The Social Democrats were close behind on 20.1%, leaving three parties clustered near the top of the vote tally. The Radical-Liberals recorded 16.6%, while the Greens finished on 9.4%.

That ranking captures the main change at the ballot box: the People’s Party moved into first place after gaining around five percentage points. The Centre remained competitive, and the Social Democrats also held a substantial share of the vote. The Radical-Liberals and Greens lost ground, according to Keystone-SDA’s report.

The percentages show how voters divided their support among the leading parties. They also underline why the vote-share winner and the party with the most seats are different in this election. The People’s Party led the popular vote, but district representation left The Centre with the largest group in the Grand Council. The seat totals set out that distinction clearly.

The Centre retained 26 of the Grand Council’s 110 seats, keeping its position as the largest party by representation. The People’s Party gained six seats and now holds 25, one fewer than The Centre. The Social Democrats added two seats to reach 23.

The Radical-Liberals lost five seats and fell to 18, while the Greens shed three to finish with 10. The Centre-Left lost one seat and now has three. Together, those changes reshape the order of the parliamentary groups: the People’s Party moves into second place, and the Social Democrats remain close behind.

The results show why winning the largest vote share did not make the People’s Party the biggest group in the chamber. The Centre’s retained seats give it that distinction as the new legislature prepares to begin work with the December session. The Social Democrats’ gains also contrast with losses for the Radical-Liberals and Greens.

The People’s Party made gains across Fribourg except in the city of Fribourg and the district of Veveyse, according to the initial election analysis. The exceptions mark the limits of a strong canton-wide result: the party’s advance was widespread, but not uniform across local areas.

The new parliament also includes 35 women among its 110 members, according to the Frapp website. That figure puts women at just under a third of the chamber. The election’s results will shape the Grand Council from the December session, when the newly elected members take their places.

The government election produced another notable result on Sunday. Three candidates from the Fribourg Alliance, a grouping of The Centre, the Radical-Liberals and the People’s Party, won election in the first round. Radical-Liberals Romain Collaud and Didier Castella were elected alongside centrist Marie-France Roth Pasquier. The parliamentary vote and the first-round government result together give Fribourg’s parties an immediate set of new positions to take into the next session.