By CLARE NULLIS
Associated Press Writer
December 10, 2003, 6:43 AM EST
GENEVA -- The Swiss parliament on Wednesday elected a firebrand nationalist to the Cabinet in a move likely to lead to a clampdown on immigration and doom lingering aspirations of joining the European Union.
The election of Christoph Blocher, leader of the right-wing Swiss People's Party, also spelt the end of the comfortable consensus politics that has characterized the four-party governing coalition for the past 44 years.
"I promise you that I will do everything to earn your trust," said the 63-year-old billionaire industrialist in his acceptance speech, which was accompanied by raucous celebrations among his supporters in a nearby hotel.
"I accept my election. I hope that with God's help, it will work out for the best," said Blocher in an unusually low-key and modest address.
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