Is a ’green populist’ movement emerging in Switzerland?

Extract from a campaign poster of the initiative 'Stop overpopulation and help preserve our natural resources' © Ecopop - According to two scientists, Switzerland's right-wing populist parties have adopted some ideas from green parties in order to attract more voters. In a recent shift in messaging, the populists claim that increased urbanization and growing population density are being fueled in part by immigration, and could wipe out natural areas and expand Switzerland's carbon footprint. When Spanish sociologist Ander Audikana moved to Switzerland in February 2014, he never thought he'd be witness to an event that would shake up the country. In a national referendum held just a few days after he arrived, 50.3% of Swiss people voted in favor of an "against mass immigration" initiative put forth by the Swiss People's Party (SVP). This outcome surprised many in the county's economic and political circles - as well as the foreigners working at EPFL's Urban Sociology Laboratory (LaSUR), where Audikana is completing his post-doc. "We decided we had to do something. That's when we came up with the idea for a book that would examine the controversy in Switzerland over the free movement of people.