Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

The Swiss parliament has wrapped up its last session before the federal elections on October 22. The parliament elected in 2019 was younger, greener and more feminine than previous ones, so has it made a difference?

Swiss public broadcaster RTS talked to parliamentarians and analysed what has marked this parliamentary term, from Covid, to the Ukraine war and the Credit Suisse debacle. And looks ahead to new issues that will be of concern for the next parliament. 

There is more fallout from the Church sexual abuse scandal, too.

Read on for more on these and other stories in the news.

Keystone / Esteban Felix

In the News: More shockwaves from the Church abuse scandal, enthusiastic cinema-goers, environment as part of foreign policy… and a Geneva cannabis experiment.

• Bernard Sonney, the deputy bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, has temporarily vacated his office after two weeks in the job following allegations of abuse. An investigation is underway against him. He is not the first high Catholic dignitary to resign following an explosive report on sexual abuse in the Church.
• Swiss cinema attendance has returned to nearly pre-pandemic levels, with Swiss film-lovers are once again flocking to the pictures. Attendance has risen by 30% year-on-year, from 6 million to 7.8 million admissions, according to ProCinema, an industry association. 
• The Swiss government is recommending that voters reject a popular initiative to make after-school care centres accessible and affordable for all. It says the initiative would cost too much.
• Bern wants to introduce environmental priorities in its foreign policy strategy for the first time. Swiss foreign policy should set new priorities in the areas of climate change, biodiversity, pollution and sustainable energy supply, according to the proposals.
• And Geneva is about to launch its “cannabinothèque”, providing a supervised supply of recreational cannabisExternal link to some 1,000 volunteers who agree to take part in research. Volunteer recruitment starts on Sunday, and the centre is to open in December. .

Keystone / Lukas Lehmann

Parliament ends last session before elections: what is its record?

The Swiss parliament on Friday wrapped up its last session of the 2019-23 legislative period – the last one before upcoming federal elections on October 22. Swiss public broadcaster RTS looked at the record of this parliament and talked to some parliamentarians.

The last four years have been marked by multiple crises, RTS notesExternal link: Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and the collapse of Credit Suisse. Covid-19 was a historic upheaval, including for parliament. Its work was considerably disrupted, with sessions cancelled and at one point a complete relocation to BernExpo conference centre.

The pandemic also had an impact on the balance of power between parliament and the government, RTS writes. At the height of the crisis, the government took sole charge, issuing emergency ordinances and relegating parliament to a rubber-stamp chamber. This situation was subsequently repeated in part during the Credit Suisse debacle.

The 2019 elections marked a turning point, bringing a younger, more ecological parliament with more women. Four years on, it is difficult to measure the major effects of this political change, according to parliamentarians interviewed by RTS.

There has been some timid progress on gender equality, but none on the heart of our social injustices, Social Democrat parliamentarian Ada Marra told RTS. “This Parliament, this majority, on the issues of health premiums and rents, remains as before.”

As for climate issues, the green wave was felt at the start of the legislature, but then everything changed on June 13, 2021, when Swiss voters rejected anti-pesticide initiatives and the CO2 Act.

The crises have put new pressing issues on the agenda such as energy, neutrality, refugees and banking regulation. These issues have since been debated at length in the federal parliament and will certainly have an impact on October 22, writes RTS.