Democratic Party); the change from BPS to BDP was due to a name conflict with the extant minor party Bürgerpartei Schweiz (Citizen's Party of Switzerland), which has the same acronym BPS. As a result, the Grisons branch also changed its name to BDP Graubünden. Soon afterward, nearly all of the SVP/UDC's Bern section, including Schmid, defected to the new party. Eleven other cantonal branches were founded, predominantly in German-speaking Switzerland: Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Fribourg, Glarus, Lucerne, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Valais and Zürich. Political positions The BDP supported bilateral accords with the European Union, and it opposed the tightening of Switzerland's asylum. It opposed additional benefits to health insurance, although it did not necessarily support limiting them. The BDP supported the raising of the retirement age, opposed any relaxation to requirements to receive social welfare, and supported same-sex marriage. The party favoured of a gradual nuclear power phase-out. Electoral history In 2019, the BDP had one seat in the Council of States, and 3 out of the 200 seats in the National Council. Upon the BDP's founding, seventeen members of the Grand Council of Bern defected from the SVP. In the 2010 election, the number of BDP councillors increased to 25, making the BDP the third-largest party in Bern, behind the SVP and the Social Democratic Party. Having been founded by the mass defection of the local SVP, the Conservative Democrats were the third-largest delegation in the Grand Council of Graubünden, with 30 seats, behind the Christian Democratic People's Party and FDP.The Liberals. The BDP also was the third-largest party in the Cantonal Council of neighbouring Glarus, with ten of the legislature's sixty seats. After the BDP lost four seats in the 2019 election and therefore, its status as an own parliamentary group, the remaining three parliamentarians decided to join a parliamentary group together with the CVP and the EVP, two other moderate parties. National Council and Council of States Party strength by canton 1.* indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton. Party presidents Hans Grunder (2008–2012) Martin Landolt (2012–2020) References External links Defunct political parties in Switzerland 2008 establishments in Switzerland 2020 disestablishments in Switzerland Political parties established in 2008 Political parties disestablished in 2020 Conservative parties in Switzerland