Head of Christian Democrats resigns
The head of Switzerland's Christian Democratic Party - one of the four parties in government - has resigned. Adalbert Durrer said he would taking up a directorship at the Swiss bank, UBS, at the beginning of next year.
Announcing his resignation on Thursday, Durrer, 50, said he would step down on May 12. He said it was time to hand over the helm of the Christian Democratic Party, which is widely seen as lacking direction.
He added that he would also be resigning his parliamentary seat in the autumn.
Durrer said his decision to step down had been influenced by a split in his party over whether Switzerland should start immediate membership negotiations with the European Union.
Durrer had publicly stated his opposition to the proposal, but his party voted to support it at its congress in January. The issue came to a nationwide vote on March 4, and was overwhelmingly rejected by Swiss voters.
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