SVP surges in Glarus and Graubünden elections, enters Graubünden government after 18-year absence

Voters in the eastern Swiss cantons of Glarus and Graubünden delivered strong gains for the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) in elections held on 14 June 2026. The results consolidate the SVP's parliamentary dominance and mark its return to a cantonal government after an 18-year hiatus.

Glarus: SVP tightens hold on the Landrat

In the 60-seat Glarus Landrat, the SVP added six seats to reach 24, cementing its position as the strongest force. The FDP lost one seat but remained the second-largest party with 10 seats. The Centre (Die Mitte) suffered the heaviest losses, dropping three seats to nine. The Social Democrats (SP) and the Greens each hold six seats after losing two apiece, while the Green Liberals (GLP) increased their tally from three to five.

Two prominent politicians lost their bids for re-election. Hans Jenny, the FDP parliamentary group leader, and Hans Schubiger, the Centre party president, are no longer members of the Landrat. A total of 396 candidates contested the 60 seats, a figure similar to the 2022 elections.

Graubünden executive: Favre Accola ends the SVP’s drought

The five-member government of Graubünden saw Valérie Favre Accola (SVP) elected with the fifth-highest vote count. The 53-year-old acting president of the cantonal parliament and vice-mayor of Davos secured 32,141 votes, finishing roughly 7,200 ahead of the sixth-placed candidate, Nora Saratz Cazin of the GLP. Her victory brings the SVP back into the executive for the first time since 2008, when the party lost its seat amid the split that created the BDP.

All four incumbent councillors were comfortably re-elected. Finance director Martin Bühler (FDP) led with 42,299 votes, followed by economics director Marcus Caduff (Centre, 40,153), construction director Carmelia Maissen (Centre, 34,519) and justice director Peter Peyer (SP, 32,856). Peyer had attracted negative headlines shortly before the vote over the Misox mafia scandal. The Centre now holds only two of the five seats, losing its absolute majority.

The result is historically notable: for the first time, two women will serve together in Graubünden's government. Favre Accola is only the fourth woman to serve in the cantonal executive, after Maissen, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and Barbara Janom Steiner.

Graubünden parliament: the SVP becomes the largest force

The real surprise came in elections for the 120-seat Grand Council (Grosser Rat). The SVP gained 10 seats, jumping to 35 and overtaking the Centre as the largest party. The Centre lost six seats, falling to 28. The FDP relinquished four seats (now 23), and the SP dropped five, leaving it with 20. The Greens, running independently for the first time, won seven seats (a gain of five) and can now form a separate parliamentary group. The GLP held its seven seats. Overall, the left retained the same number of seats as four years ago, with the SP's losses offset by the Greens' gains.

A record 522 candidates ran for the 120 seats, up from 491 in 2022. This was the second election conducted under the double-proportional system introduced that year, which continues to reshape the political balance.

Wider picture

The SVP's success in Graubünden was fuelled by its strong base (around 31 percent of the electorate), public scepticism over immigration and Favre Accola's campaign against new EU agreements. Her husband is former ski racer Paul Accola. In Glarus, the Landrat remains dominated by right-of-centre parties, with the SVP facing no incumbency losses and easily meeting its goal of extending its lead.

The Glarus Landrat differs from most cantonal legislatures: it lacks independent legislative authority, which rests with the Landsgemeinde (cantonal assembly). Its role is to supervise the government, administration and courts and to prepare constitutional and legislative proposals for the Landsgemeinde.