Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
As I write today’s briefing from Bern, there is the welcome sound of water pattering on the leaves and roads outside. Many people, businesses and the environment have been negatively affected by the heat this summer, which is shaping up to be Switzerland’s hottest on record. A study published today looks at which parts of the population have been most affected by the heat – and why.
Sunny regards from Bern,
In an interview published yesterday by Le Temps, Vaud minister Valérie Dittli announced that she was leaving The Centre Party and would run for the cantonal government under her newly established Liberal Movement Party.
“I simply no longer recognised the party,” Dittli, who had been a member for nearly ten years, told Le Temps. Her departure has caused a major rift at the top of the cantonal party section.
Two members of the Vaud Centre Party’s executive committee have also decided to leave.
The resignations come against a backdrop of tension within the Centre Party’s Vaud branch. Attacks between Dittli’s supporters and opponents have intensified in recent weeks. “The attacks against Dittli are of a violence and malice that have no place in a party,” said Laurent Chaubert of the Vaud Centre Party. “Even if it means ruining my political career, I’d rather join a movement that upholds genuine values. These manoeuvres are unacceptable.”
The Vaud cantonal minister has been at the centre of numerous controversies in recent months, the latest of which came to light yesterday. According to several media outlets, the Lavaux-Oron branch of the party accuses Dittli of attempting to withdraw or transfer some CHF22,000 ($27,368) deposited in an account set up in summer 2025 to support her political activities, an accusation Dittli rejects.
Dittli is not the first Swiss politician to break ranks and create a new party. In 2022, Geneva government minister Pierre Maudet founded the Libertés et justice sociale (Freedoms and Social Justice) movement after being expelled from the Radical-Liberal Party. This followed his 2022 conviction for accepting criminal perks, in connection with a trip to Abu Dhabi. In April 2023, Maudet made a political comeback running on his new party’s ticket and being elected to the Geneva cantonal government.
Canton Vaud’s elections are set to take place on February 28, 2027.
This summer is on course to be Switzerland’s hottest on record. A study published today shows that women have been significantly more affected by the heat than men. There are several physiological reasons why.
According to a study by Tamedia, carried out by Zurich-based polling and data analysis firm Leewas, 74% of the population described the summer of 2026 as “very trying” or “somewhat trying”. Only a quarter of those surveyed found it very or somewhat pleasant.
Women suffered significantly more from the heat than men: 46% said they found it very trying, compared with 31% of men.
Women can be more susceptible to hot weather because they generally have a higher percentage of body fat and slightly fewer sweat glands. As a result, they may benefit less from the cooling effect of sweating.
Heat can also put additional strain on the female body by affecting its hormonal balance. Severe heat stress, for example, can cause levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise. This can delay or altering a woman’s menstruation cycle. Heat also causes blood vessels to dilate, which can intensify bleeding and cramps, further affecting women’s well-being. High temperatures can also exacerbate typical menopause symptoms.
Gender was not the only factor influencing how people perceived the heat: political affiliation also played a role. Half of Green Party voters found the heat very difficult to cope with. At the other end of the political spectrum, supporters of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party coped best, with 36% saying they found the summer pleasant.
Swiss Post’s e-voting system has been attacked by 5,479 IP addresses from 107 countries. But this is surprisingly good news for Swiss Abroad hoping to vote electronically.
Usually, this kind of headline would cause alarm. The good news, however, is that the attacks were part of a public security test in which hackers were invited to “ethically” attack the e-voting system in a test environment. Such public security tests are a legal requirement before e-voting systems can be used in trial operations.
The public security test took place in July. Of the 85 reports submitted, Swiss Post confirmed six findings. No “critical” vulnerabilities were reported and only one was classified as “high”.
Swiss Post pays rewards for each reported vulnerability, or “bug”. As part of this year’s test, around CHF38,000 ($47,000) was paid out to hackers.
The Swiss Post’s e-voting system is currently in use in five cantons: St Gallen, Thurgau, Graubünden, Lucerne and Basel City, although the latter has temporarily suspended its pilot project following an incident involving the use of PIN-secured USB keys. During the federal vote on March 8, 2026, 2,048 electronic votes could not be decrypted or counted. Federal authorities said there was no connection between this incident and the e-voting system provided by Swiss Post.
Switzerland is internationally renowned for its apprenticeship system and is often held up as a model for other countries. But some of those who have gone through an apprenticeship are speaking out about toxic workplaces and calling for greater protection.
Apprentices can be as young as 15. These young people choose the apprenticeship route expecting to be taught by professionals in their fields and trained for the workforce, often in physically demanding professions. Working conditions for apprentices are not systematically monitored, and becoming a trainer requires only 40 hours of training.
Hairdressing apprentice Lana Voisard graduated top of her class. During her graduation speech, she spoke about the discrimination and abuse that she and other apprentices allegedly experienced in their workplaces.
Voisard alleges that she was belittled and humiliated by her trainer. The stress took a toll on her both mentally and physically. When she contacted the cantonal training service about changing companies, she received an email outlining the risks she could face if she left her employer without consent, including legal action for breach of contract. “That immediately scared me,” Voisard told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
An article published by RTS reports that while 80% of apprentices initially said they were happy with their apprenticeship, when questioned further, 60% reported experiencing psychological difficulties.
In canton Neuchâtel, a popular initiative is calling for greater protection for apprentices, and unannounced workplace inspections. But the initiative is facing strong opposition.
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