Geneva - The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) has entered the regional parliament in Geneva for the first time after a local election, extending its influence to French-speaking areas in western Switzerland.
The SVP became the largest political party in Switzerland in the 1999 general election with 23 per cent of the national vote, overtaking the Social Democrats, who polled 21 per cent. But most of its support then was centred on German-speaking areas in the east of the country.