View source for Freedom Party of Switzerland

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{{More footnotes|date=April 2016}}
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{{Infobox Swiss political party
| party_name = Freedom Party of Switzerland
| party_logo = [[File:Freedom Party of Switzerland logo.gif]]
| party_wikicolourid = SDPS
| german_name = Freiheits-Partei der Schweiz (FPS)
| french_name = Parti Suisse de la Liberté (PSL)
| italian_name = Partito svizzero della Libertà (PSL)
| romansh_name = Partida Svizra da la Libertad (PSL)
| president = [[Jürg Scherrer]]
| council_members =
| foundation = 1984
| headquarters = [[Bern]]
| ideology = [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[nationalism]]<br>[[Conservatism]]<br>[[National liberalism]]<br>[[Right-wing populism]]<br>[[Euroscepticism]]
| position = [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]]
| european = 
| international = 
| colours = [[Red]] and [[black]]
}}
The '''Freedom Party of Switzerland''' ('''FPS''') ({{langx|de|Freiheits-Partei der Schweiz}}; {{langx|fr|Parti suisse de la liberté}}, '''PSL''') is a minor [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] [[List of political parties in Switzerland|political party]] in [[Switzerland]]. Its president and leading representative is [[Jürg Scherrer]], formerly the head of the security department in the city government of [[Biel/Bienne]] until 2008. The party is against much government involvement in the economy, especially environmental regulations, but is for strict controls on immigration and strict punishments for selling drugs. The party opposes Swiss EU membership.

== History ==
The FPS was founded 1984 in [[Zürich]] by Dr. [[Michael E. Dreher]] and other right-wing politicians as ''Autopartei'' ([[Automobile]] Party). It was intended to counter the then upsurging [[Green Party of Switzerland]] and the contemporary concerns about [[forest dieback]] due to [[acid rain]]. Focusing initially on personal mobility issues, one of its more well-known slogans was "Freie Fahrt für freie Bürger" (''A free road for free citizens'').

The party enjoyed success in the cantonal parliaments, particularly in [[Canton of St. Gallen|St. Gallen]], [[Thurgau]] and [[Schaffhausen]]. The height of its power was reached in the 1991 [[Swiss National Council|National Council]] elections, when it captured 8 out of 200 seats and 4% of the national vote. Afterwards, the party's fortunes started to decline as many leading figures left the party in the course of internal disputes, mainly for the more mainstream [[Swiss People's Party]].

Despite renaming itself to "Freedom Party" in 1994, the FPS lost all national mandates in the 1999 elections and, as of 2006, retains but a very few parliamentary seats in some cantonal and municipal parliaments. Most of its members, and even entire sections have joined the Swiss People's Party which has incorporated most of the party's agenda.

== Agenda ==
The FPS campaigns on a pronounced [[right-wing]] agenda, advocating strict asylum and immigration laws, as well as a [[Law and order (politics)|law and order]] approach to crime and drugs and strong [[Swiss Armed Forces|Armed Forces]]. It opposes Swiss membership in international organisations such as the [[European Union]] and the [[United Nations]] (however it favors EFTA and even NAFTA membership), but favors a [[laissez-faire]] economic policy, [[deregulation]], tax cuts and a reduction of state spending.<ref>{{in lang|de}} [http://www.freiheits-partei.ch/article-369-parteiprogramm-fps.html Party platform of May 8, 1999] on the party's website</ref>

The party and its exponents are also noted for their aggressive anti-communist rhetoric, at least compared to that of mainstream Swiss parties. Its leader [[Jürg Scherrer]] has been (unsuccessfully) sued several times under Swiss anti-discrimination laws on account of his disparaging statements about [[Demographics of Africa|Africans]] and foreigners in general. The following excerpts from a statement of Scherrer's, posted on the party's website in 2006, may serve to illustrate the party's take on current issues:

{{"|No other people in the world are as much lied to and duped by a [[Left-wing politics|Leftist]]-subverted [[Swiss Federal Council|government]] as the Swiss. ... The unhampered wave of immigration of the last ten years has caused criminality and drug problems in Switzerland to escalate drastically. ... We want to act now. [[State of emergency|Emergency law]] must be used to close the Swiss border to any immigration from outside the [[European Union|EU]]/[[European Free Trade Association|EFTA]] states, with exceptions for the labour market only. Criminal foreigners must be extradited immediately. International agreements that forbid this must be terminated. If we don't clean up now, it will be too late tomorrow.<ref>{{in lang|de}} [http://www.freiheits-partei.ch/article-213-das-mass-ist-uebervoll.html Das Mass ist übervoll] by Jürg Scherrer, editor's translation from the German.</ref>}}

==Notes==
<references />

== References ==
* {{HDS|17418|Freiheits-Partei|author=Hans Hirter|date=05 April 2005}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|de}} [http://www.freiheits-partei.ch/ Website of the Freedom Party of Switzerland]

{{Swiss political parties}}

{{Swiss far right}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Freedom Party of Switzerland| ]]
[[Category:Nationalist parties in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1984]]
[[Category:Right-wing populism in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Swiss nationalism]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Climate change denial]]