Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
| President | Gerhard Pfister |
|---|---|
| Vice Presidents | |
| General Secretary | Gianna Luzio |
| Member in Federal Council | Viola Amherd |
| Founded | 22 April 1912 |
| Dissolved | 31 December 2020 |
| Merged into | The Centre |
| Headquarters | Hirschengraben 9 CH-3011 Bern |
| Youth wing | Young CVP |
| Membership (2015) | 100,000 |
| Ideology | Christian democracy Social conservatism Conservatism Social market economy |
| Political position | Centre to centre-right |
| European affiliation | European People's Party (associate) |
| International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
| Colours | Orange |
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (German: Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz, CVP), also called the Christian Democratic Party (French: Parti démocrate-chrétien, PDC), Democratic People's Party (Italian: Partito Popolare Democratico, PPD) and Swiss Christian Democratic Party (Romansh: ⓘ, PCD), was a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. On 1 January 2021, it merged with the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP/PBD) to form The Centre, which now operates at the federal level. The name Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP) was used by some cantonal and regional organisations until 2024. Its seats in the Federal Assembly were transferred to the new party, as was its sole seat on the Federal Council.
The party was founded as the Catholic Conservative Party in 1912. It peaked in the 1950s, having three members of the Federal Council (1954–1958) before agreeing to the magic formula. It adopted its current name in 1970. From 1979 to 2003, the party's vote declined, mostly in the favour of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC); the party was reduced to one Federal Councillor at the 2003 Federal Council election.
The party sat in the centre to centre-right of the political spectrum, advocating Christian democracy, the social market economy and moderate social conservatism. The party was strongest in Catholic rural areas, particularly Central Switzerland and Valais.