...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
.
The result, based on initial projections by Swiss TV, gives the SVP 65 seats in the 200-member lower house of parliament, the largest number for any Swiss party in at least a century.
The SVP's success, coupled with gains made by the pro-business Liberal Party (FDP), led political commentators to talk of a "Rechtsrutsch" - move to the right - in Swiss politics.
Immigration was the central topic for voters amid a rush of asylum seekers from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe.
"The vote was clear," SVP leader Toni Brunner told Swiss television. "The people are worried about mass migration to Europe."
Sunday's result cements the position of the SVP as the dominant force in Swiss politics. It won 28 percent of the vote, translating into 11 extra seats, according to first projections from Swiss broadcaster SRF, up from 26.6 percent in the 2011 vote and roughly in line with expectations.
The election gains for the SVP, which was already the biggest single party in parliament, come 20 months after the Swiss in a referendum backed limits on foreigners living in Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
. The SVP had strongly supported the restrictions.
Lawmakers have until 2017 to reconcile this referendum result with an EU pact that guarantees the free movement of workers, otherwise the Swiss government must write quotas into law regardless of any compromise with the EU.