MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to vote results cited by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), SVP managed to increase its representation in the local 200-seat National Council by winning an additional 11 seats after 29.4 percent of voters supported the party.
The party will be represented by a record 65 seats in the parliament.
The Social Democratic Party finished second with 18.8 percent of votes. The main rival of SVP lost two seats, securing 44 representatives in the parliament.
The center-right Free Democratic Party gained 3 seats securing a total of 33 lawmakers in the parliament after garnering 16.4 percent of the vote.
17 October 2015, 21:10 GMT
The growth in popularity by the SVP right-wing party in the country is attributed to its anti-immigrant rhetoric.
An ongoing refugee crisis across Europe had turned into a divisive issue in Switzerland ahead of the election after some 12,000 people sought asylum in the country in the first half of 2015.
In September, Switzerland agreed to take in 1,500 migrants under an EU resettlement program of 40,000 refugees, despite not being a member of the bloc.
