[3] Founded in 1975, the party's current president is Daniel Frischknecht who succeeded the long-serving Hans Moser [de] (2001–2020) in 2020.

[4] At the beginning of its existence, the EDU's platform was strongly influenced by the ideology of Otto Strasser, revolutionary nationalism and solidarism.

[5] Despite being nationalistic and patriotic, the party supported socialist economic policies as opposed to capitalism or communism.

[5] At the same time, the EDU adopted right-wing populist positions on issues such as immigration, integration into supranational unions, and Islam.

The EDU received 1.3% of the popular vote in the 2007 elections, and retained one of its two seats in the Swiss National Council, held by Andreas Brönnimann, who represented the canton of Bern.

However, in the 2011 elections, the party lost its seat in the Swiss National Council, even though it still received the same percentage of the popular vote.

On questions concerning the environment, the EDU stands rather center-left,[14] however with family, social, and educational policy, the EDU takes a conservative stance.

[15] The EDU rejects equating homosexual and heterosexual marriages and is committed against abortion, euthanasia, and the exploitation of women by sexist advertising.

[18] The EDU sponsored an unsuccessful[19] referendum, held on November 27, 2016, in the Canton of Zürich, that would have defined marriage as only between one man and one woman.

In environmental policy, the EDU does not see the real problem as in climate change, but rather in the enormous consumption of resources and energy.