Far-Right Wins in Swiss Election Create Tension

Swiss voters delivered a new parliament on Sunday, giving the right-wing Swiss People's Party a consolidated grip on power. But they also gave a seat to the country's first black MP, who told the Times of London that he is fearful of the xenophobia that characterized the recent election, despite his pride at being "a symbol" of a non-racist Switzerland.

The Swiss People's Party drew worldwide condemnation with an ad campaign depicting three white sheep kicking a black sheep off a Swiss flag. Newly elected Ricardo Lumengo, a former Angolan refugee running on a Socialist ticket, became a citizen in 1997 and reflected on the difference a decade makes. "There is a tension, a conflict now between foreigners and Swiss," he said. (More Switzerland stories.)