The Geneva Citizens' Movement (french: Mouvement Citoyens Genevois), abbreviated to MCG, is a
populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develope ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or po ...
in the
Canton of Geneva
The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. On its own initiative, it started, and is a part of, the wider Romandy Citizens' Movement (french: Mouvement Citoyens Romand), abbreviated to MCR.
History
The MCG was co-founded in 2005 by
Éric Stauffer and
Georges Letellier. It established itself as the canton's third most powerful political party in the
2009 legislative election, winning 17 out of 100 seats in the
Grand Council of Geneva
The Grand Council of Geneva (french: Grand Conseil de Genève) is the legislature of the canton of Geneva, in Switzerland. Geneva, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council was established in its prese ...
.
In 2010, the MCG formed a wider party organization with chapters throughout the cantons of
Romandy
Romandy (french: Romandie or )Before World War I, the term French Switzerland (french: Suisse française) waalso used german: Romandie or , it, Romandia, rm, Romanda) is the French-speaking part of western Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 mill ...
, called the ''Mouvement Citoyen Romand'' (MCR).
However, only the Geneva chapter has seen real success.
The MCG made large gains in the March 2011 cantonal local elections, helping end a 20-year-old majority by left-of-center parties in the
parliament of the city of Geneva.
In 2013, the MCG further increased its share in the Grand Council of Geneva to 20 seats.
In addition, it gained a seat in the
Council of State of Geneva, the executive organ of the canton, with
Mauro Poggia taking the seat.
In the
federal election of October 2011, the MCG won one of Geneva's eleven seats in the
National Council, with
Mauro Poggia (b. 1959), formerly of the
Christian Democrats and also the Italian
Union of Christian and Centre Democrats
The Union of the Centre ( it, Unione di Centro, UdC), whose complete name is "Union of Christian and Centre Democrats" (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Lore ...
. The MCG retained its one seat in the
2015 elections, later losing it in the
2019 elections.
Grand Council of Geneva election results
Ideology
The MCG calls itself neither
left- nor
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...
,
but it is often referred to as
right-wing populist
Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establi ...
,
far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
,
or
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
by political opponents and the media.
The MCG campaigns on a platform of opposition to established party politics (''
classe politique'')
and to the 65,000 cross-border commuters from France,
calling for the priority allocation of jobs to Swiss citizens.
The MCG takes
eurosceptic
Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...
or nationalist positions, such as supporting the preeminence of
Swiss law
Swiss law is a set of rules which constitutes the law in Switzerland.
Structure and Sources
There is a hierarchy of political levels which reflects the legal and constitutional character of Switzerland.
The Federal law (german: Bundesrecht, f ...
before
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
, opposing the bilateral accords with the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
, and supporting reducing immigration.
In addition, it supported a strict implementation of the
2014 Swiss immigration referendum, which aimed to limit immigration through quotas.
As of 2015, the MCG supports increased funding for
renewable energies
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
.
It believes more controls on social welfare are needed, but it does not support reducing benefits in order to reduce costs, preferring "a general reform of the system and not ineffective half-measures."
As of 2015, the MCG supports registered partnerships for
same-sex couples
A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countrie ...
but opposes full legalization.
Presidents
*
Georges Letellier (2005–2006)
*
Georges Jost (2006–2008)
*
Éric Stauffer (2008–2012)
*
Roger Golay (2012–2016)
*
Ana Roch (2016–)
References
External links
Geneva Citizens' Movement official websiteRomandy Citizens' Movement official webpage (subpage of MCG website)
{{Authority control
Political parties in the canton of Geneva
Political parties established in 2005
2005 establishments in Switzerland
National conservative parties
Regionalist parties
Right-wing populism in Switzerland
Right-wing parties in Switzerland