In the parliamentary elections in Switzerland, according to the first projections, the right strengthened its already dominant position amid citizens' concerns about the refugee crisis.
Citizens went to the polls yesterday, and polling stations closed at noon, after just a few hours, as most Swiss vote early by mail or online.
Early projections from some of Switzerland's 26 cantons show that the largest party, the anti-immigration Swiss People's Party (SVP) with 28 percent of the vote, won and could tip the scales in parliament toward the center-right majority.
The expected move comes at a time when the wave of refugees in Europe has put the issue of the refugee crisis in Switzerland in the spotlight even though this country has not yet been significantly affected by it.
About a quarter of Switzerland's eight million residents are foreign nationals, and immigration and asylum policy are among the issues that most concern voters, AFP said.
A survey by the Gfs.bern institute before the elections showed that 48 percent of those polled consider the refugee issue to be the most important that the country is facing.
The left-wing Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, with 19 percent, recorded a slight increase in support, as did the third largest center-right party, the Free Democratic Party - Liberals, which, with 17 percent of the votes, could shift the center of gravity in parliament to the right.
After the new parliament is elected, it will elect a new Federal Council or government in December.
The seven seats in the government are traditionally shared by the larger parties in the parliament, and are generally unaffected by changes in the strength of the parties in the parliament.
The so-called "magic formula" allowed the Swiss government to maintain an almost identical composition of parties for 40 years.
The lower house of the parliament has 200 seats, where MPs from all cantons will be proportionally represented, according to the population, while in the upper house of the parliament for 46 seats, the majority system will be applied.
The survey shows that only half of registered voters cast ballots, which analysts attributed to voter fatigue.
The Swiss have a more direct influence on politics in referendums held every three months on various issues as part of the country's direct democratic system.
Bonus video:
