swissinfo.ch bloggers gathered news and views in the lead up to US election day and were on the ground in Geneva and Bern to bring reactions from Switzerland as developments unfolded.
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swissinfo’s Simon Bradley and Veronica DeVore are following the 2012 US presidential election from special expat events held in Geneva and Bern.
If you have any questions or comments, send them to english@swissinfo.ch or tweet to @swissinfo_en
Between 1700 and 2009, about 460,000 Swiss citizens emigrated to the US. Currently there are thought to be around 1.2 million Swiss-Americans and Americans with Swiss roots.
Of the 75,637 Swiss nationals registered in the United States at the end of 2011 – one tenth of all Swiss abroad – 52,093 were dual citizens.
Of an estimated six million Americans living abroad in 160 different countries, roughly 30,000 are registered in Switzerland.
In the 19th century, a relationship of friendship developed between the two “sister republics” – Switzerland and the US – on the basis of shared values such as democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
In 1822, Switzerland opened its first consulates in the US, in Washington and in New York. Sixty years later, the opening of the Swiss embassy in Washington marked Switzerland’s first embassy outside Europe.
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What will Obama’s win mean for Switzerland?
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As our video shows, on the agenda are tackling the tax cheat crisis – “the greatest source of tension” in relations – as well as easing travel to the US for Swiss.
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Once everyone got their complimentary – and very welcome – cup of joe, they mingled, shared election night experiences and generally reacted positively to the news of a second term for Obama. Speaking with swissinfo.ch, US Ambassador to Switzerland Donald Beyer said he hoped President Obama might decide to visit Switzerland sometime during his second…
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“I feel absolutely relieved, overwhelmed and very, very proud of the vote,” said Sarah Burkhalter, an art historian from Geneva University. “But I’m realistic that this is just half of the country; the country is very divided. The priority will be the economy and making sure the healthcare bill goes through and the rest of…
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“I have lots of friends in the Florida area who have been working intensely, so I’m sure Obama will take Florida and then I’ll be alright.” But what happens if he loses, as the vote is on a knife’s edge? “Oh, my god…It’ll be awful,” the student cries. TV stations have been showing images of long…
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“I find it unusual that it’s being argued, that somebody can tell me what’s right for me,” she said. Hear more from her below.
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“I don’t think we’ll see that. The number of overseas and military voters participating is not increasing in the way we expected with all these improvements in technology,” she told swissinfo.ch. Now all US citizens can receive their blank ballots electronically. She said while some new aspects were easier, online voting was “confusing”. “New solutions…
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“You definitely have extremist fringes in both parties. But if you look at the candidates and president they are much more centrist,” said Ed Karr. “This fear that Romney is going to be a hardcore Tea Party radical or Christian Evangelist is completely unfounded. He’ll be a real centrist. If you look at his…
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I think the first debate was a big game-changer for Romney. People got to see that he knew the issues on his feet. Obama was kind of asleep. In the third debate Obama came on aggressive and president Romney, sorry governor Romney, hopefully president Romney, held the line, so that really helped him. People overall…
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“We need another four years to make sure the progress introduced is maintained and built upon.” “If you look at the job growth numbers over recent months it’s clear there is an economic recovery happening – it’s slow but it’s there. The Republican policies called for are basically tax cuts; but you can’t grow yourself…
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“I’d like to see us go back to less centralised government. The Obama administration has wrested lots of power that rested in the states and towns – they are making a huge power grab to expand their power base. I’m against that.” “I’d like to see the community deal with affairs in the community. What…
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These are just a few of the Swiss-based election insights being shared by social media users across the Web. We’re keeping track of them through our Storify blog, “Look Who’s Talking”. Click here to follow along.
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Shere Kahn is best known as the mascot to Geneva’s ice hockey team, Servette Hockey Club. The 13-year-old eagle is normally used to more complicated evenings when he has to carry the puck onto the ice before home games. Tonight’s was a simple manoevre, but it certainly scared the hell out of half the room.…
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The party, organised every four years by the American International Club, kicked off with a VIP reception. Live CNN, music, games, drinks and a fashion show have been laid on help election junkies through the night. Click here and scroll down to hear from the event organiser. “There’s lots of excitement here tonight,” says Kirsten…
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Maya Samara, Chair of Democrats Abroad Switzerland (3,000 members), says she is very nervous: “There is always that anxiety about how the American people will vote. I feel the US has become so divided that people really have completely different ways of thinking and they don’t cross paths so much. They watch different news and…
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“Republicans would respect Swiss sovereignty,” Faith Whittlesey, US ambassador under Ronald Reagan, commented in the Tages-Anzeiger last month. Edward Patrick Flaherty, co-chairman of Republicans Abroad Switzerland, said he was also hopeful. “I think relations will change significantly under a Romney administration,” he said. “Switzerland was a convenient scapegoat for the Obama and Democrats.” “Our two…
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His firm Bain Capital would not have developed in the way it did without a Geneva financier, according to Hebdo magazine (article in French). Barack Obama has alleged links to Switzerland via his family tree. In 2010 a Swiss archivist claimed to have traced Obama’s family tree to a villager from western Switzerland, who came…
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Observers are divided, however, over whether a Romney or Obama win would help patch things up in the short term. David Sylvan, an American political scientist at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute, felt Switzerland was not a priority for either political party right now. “There may be a few sneering comments from the Democrats about Romney’s…
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In July, US magazine Vanity Fair revealed that Romney had a Swiss bank account worth $3 million (SFr2.9 million), according to his 2010 tax return. The Swiss authorities were miffed by the viral lampooning. But they probably should not be too worried. In the past similar transatlantic disputes involving UBS and banking secrecy had little impact…
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“Decisions that have been made, bailing out banks and other industries… I don’t think there was enough control there, and now they’re putting extra pressure on Americans living abroad to make some reforms for their taxes. They’re going after the wrong people,” she told swissinfo.ch. Hear more of her thoughts below.
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“For us it’s been steady as she goes, plodding along,” laughed Edward Patrick Flaherty, co-chairman of Republicans Abroad Switzerland, which boasts 250 members. “We’ve had more people showing interest; there has been more enthusiasm. But there are not many so-called independents who switch sides.” Meanwhile, this time round Obama-mania has been decidely deflated. “Like in…
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But the 2012 election has not really fired up the imagination of many others, who have been more occupied in recent weeks with UBS’s restructuring, Gripen fighter planes, and Hollywood actor Ben Affleck’s alleged addiction to donuts. On Tuesday most papers led with non-US stories. However, several had smaller front-page stories. The Tages-Anzeiger suggested that…
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Instead, they were voting on larger issues affecting America’s standing in the world or their friends and relatives back home. Robin Bartlett Rissi, an American who now lives in Bern, says her vote was mostly decided by her respect for the role of government in American society. “In my opinion there was one candidate who…
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Many of the 6.3 million Americans who live overseas already voted weeks ago. According to the US State Department website, this time round the voting procedure for Americans abroad is “easier than ever before”. But many expats surveyed by swissinfo.ch were not so convinced. “You need to be a rocket scientist to work out how…
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News coverage of the presidential campaign has also been consistently negative, media researchers reported Friday. Swissinfo.ch talked to Swiss-American voters from some of the key swing states – but they were not exactly oozing with enthusiasm about the candidates or the campaign. David Sylvan, an American political scientist at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute, said he…
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“It’s like being parachuted in behind enemy lines, being a Republican in Europe and Switzerland. It’s always difficult to fight your corner as you are always up against an 80-90 per cent opposition,” he told swissinfo.ch.
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Fundraisers for Obama and Romney have reportedly brought in $1.7 million, with nearly $300 million from so-called super PACs, independent super political committees, and non-profit groups have added tens of millions more. These have helped bankroll the barrage of TV ads and posters in the nine decisive battleground states. As well as mere mortals, binders…
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Beyer, who was appointed by Obama, reportedly raised $1.5 million in Switzerland for the current president’s fundraising drive. American expats in Switzerland (total 30,000) are traditionally thought to vote Democrat. Support for Obama has been coming in from different sources. He also enjoys the recent backing of the Financial Times and The Economist magazine, whose…
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Last Thursday New York City’s popular mayor Michael Bloomberg gave Obama his endorsement, saying Sandy had made the stakes of the election even clearer. He also praised Obama for having made some progress towards tackling climate change. However, David Sylvan, an American political scientist at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute, is very doubtful either candidate will be…
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As election week begins, a key phrase on the minds of both campaigns is “paths to victory”. The American electoral college system is taking both campaigns to school as they crunch the numbers to find a way to win. Under the system, it doesn’t matter who wins the most votes overall – instead, the key…
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