While the AUNS describes itself as a non-partisan organization,[1] it has been closely associated with the Swiss People's Party (SVP). It was presided by notable SVP member Christoph Blocher from 1986 to 2003, and is strongly associated with Blocher's rise to a dominating figure in Swiss politics and the rise of right-wing populism orchestrated by SVP campaigns in the 1990s and 2000s.[4]