Fribourg election boosts SVP as FDP lawmaker loses seat

The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) gained six seats in Fribourg’s cantonal parliament while the Liberal Democrats (FDP) lost five, SRF reports. The centre-right bloc retained nearly two-thirds of the seats, but the result brought contrasting fortunes for two politicians from the same village: one was elected and the other was not re-elected.

Andreas Freiburghaus, an FDP member of parliament for five years and the mayor of Wünnewil-Flamatt, said he had “slept better” on previous nights. He regretted that he would no longer be able to represent the region’s interests in parliament, but said he could accept the result. “Politics is part of life, but it is not life,” he said.

Freiburghaus said the growing polarisation of politics was drawing support away from centrist parties and towards those at the extremes. He will attend the parliamentary session beginning on Tuesday, his last, before handing in his access badge.

Verena Wiget-Spycher, an SVP candidate from Wünnewil-Flamatt, was elected to parliament for 2027. She joined the village’s municipal council in the spring and said she was still coming to terms with what her election would mean. Her first step, she said, would be to discuss with her employer how to balance her parliamentary duties with her job.

Wiget-Spycher said the SVP’s campaign emphasis on home, security and independence appealed to many people. She rejected the claim that her party had sought votes through polarisation, describing it as pragmatic and focused on solutions.

The Social Democrats also gained seats, at the expense of the Greens. The stronger showing by parties on both the left and right will shape Fribourg politics over the next five years.