in 1990, the sp party conference accepted switzerland's accession to the international monetary fund with clear conditions and elected the valais canton councillor, , as party president. at the 1992 party conference in genf, the sp decided to support accession to the european economic area as a first step towards membership of the european economic community and endorsed a drug policy involving the decriminalisation of drug consumption, controlled sale of drugs for medicinal purposes, and eventual legalisation of drugs. the following year, the sp supported the national people's initiative "for a reasonable drug policy," which envisioned the legalisation of cannabis. the sp supported the 1994 national initiative "for the protection of the alps", which sought a substantial shift of transport of goods through the alps from road to rail. after otto stich's resignation from the federal council in 1995, the federal councillor moritz leuenberger was elected as his successor. in the 1995 federal election, the sp made a substantial recovery and was once again the largest party in the federal council.