On the rocks? Switzerland's seven government ministers on their annual excursion in June. This year they visited the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen.
Keystone/gaetan Bally
Only 50% of Swiss are satisfied with the country’s seven-person government, the Federal Council. This figure was 15 percentage points higher at the end of 2021.
Since then not only the Federal Council as a whole but also the individual Federal Councillors have lost popularity, according to a surveyExternal link published on Monday by Tamedia newspapers and 20 Minuten.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, who also holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, remains the least popular minister. Interior Minister Alain Berset, who is in charge of the health ministry, remains at the top of the class, despite negative headlines in recent months.
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Switzerland’s Alain Berset is no Teflon man
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Switzerland loves a good summer scandal. And once again, it involves cabinet minister Alain Berset.
Notably the two ministers involved with the country’s precarious energy situation, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga, have lost popularity.
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Swiss minister urges calm over energy shortage fears
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The threat of energy shortages should not be over-dramatised, says Swiss Economics Minister.
Parliament has also lost around ten percentage points in terms of satisfaction since December 2021. In mid-August, when the survey was carried out, 46% of respondents said they were still satisfied or relatively satisfied with the work of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
There was also little enthusiasm for the political composition of the seven-person cabinet. Only 18% of respondents backed the current permutation, in which the three largest parties have two ministers each and the fifth-largest party (The Centre) has one. The fourth-largest party, the Greens, are not represented in government. However, all the other compositions proposed in the survey received even lower ratings.
More than 26,000 people were interviewed for the representative survey in mid-August.
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Swiss government seen as lacking team spirit
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A survey finds most Swiss (64%) believe members of the Federal Council do not work well together.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
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The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
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The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
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In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
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As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
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After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
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A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
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The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
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Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
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Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
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The political equation based on a magic formula
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How many seats are there in the Swiss cabinet? The answer is seven. But how does Switzerland do the math to reach that figure?
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