MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The vote to fill the two of Switzerland's legislative chambers – the 200-seat National Council and 46-member Council of States – comes as Europe is facing a migrant influx from crisis-hit Middle East and African countries.
SVP is on track to win 11 National Council additional seats, bringing its total representation to 65, the RTS broadcaster said citing projections. In the Council of States, SVP has gained five mandates so far.
SVP’s center-right Liberal party rivals are the poll’s second projected winners with three seats added to their 30 current mandates.
The Social Democratic Party stands to lose two seats for a total of 44, according to projections.
Over half of the 26 Swiss cantons have been counted after polling stations closed on mid-Sunday.
Some 5.2 million Swiss nationals are eligible to vote in the country, where the total population is about 8 million people.
The growth in the SVP’s popularity is mainly attributed to its anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Some 12,000 people sought asylum in Switzerland in the first half of 2015. In September, the country agreed to take in 1,500 migrants under the EU resettlement program of 40,000 refugees, despite the country's non-EU membership.
Switzerland is part of the Schengen and Dublin agreements.
