Switzerland Today
Hello from Bern,
Where weeks of speculation about “secret plans” and political conspiracies finally come to an end tomorrow, as parliament meets to (re-)elect the seven-member government. Are big surprises in store? Not likely, but that’s no reason not to dream some up.
In the news: parliament takes aim at terrorism and espionage.
- Switzerland has moved a step closer to labelling Hamas a terrorist entity. Today, the Senate (one of the two Swiss parliamentary chambers) adopted a motion to ban the group, three weeks after the government announced its intention to blacklist it. Neutral Switzerland traditionally holds back on issuing terrorist bans; in recent years Al-Qaeda and ISIS were exceptions.
- The House of Representatives (the other parliamentary chamber) today backed a motion to systematically expel foreign spies judged to endanger internal or external Swiss security. Proponents of the change point especially to the alleged large number of Russian spies in Switzerland. The government rejected the idea; it wants to continue to examine expulsions on a case-by-case basis.
- Some 37% of Swiss now use payment methods such as a smartphone or a smart watch – up from 25% just two years ago, the Visa Payment Monitor said today. Overall, almost three-quarters of Swiss now prefer digital to cash payments; over-60-year-olds are also catching up on contactless purchases. Faced by these trends, a people’s initiative is currently in the works to prevent a cashless society.
Pulses rise – at least inside Switzerland – ahead of government elections.
It’s Federal Council fever in Switzerland, as parliament convenes tomorrow to choose the seven cabinet members. Nothing unexpected is expected: observers say the six sitting ministers will almost definitely be re-elected, according to a 175-year-old tradition of not rocking the boat; the one free seat is very likely to be filled by one of the two “official” candidates proposed by the Social Democrats (Beat Jans and Jon Pult, pictured); the Swiss president for 2024 will be the vice-president from this year, Viola Amherd.
Naturally this hasn’t stopped the rumour mill turning and the imaginations of political journalists running wild: over the past weeks, gallons of interviews, articles, historical pieces, data analyses, explainer videos, gossipy podcasts, speculations, quizzes, profiles and caricatures have flooded the media. Even those who admit that much of the speculation is “dull as ditch-waterExternal link” or “a lot of noise for… what exactlyExternal link?” still go to the trouble of writing about it.
Why is such a predictable affair such a political highlight? Is it because the long-serving nature of ministers (there have only been 121 in 175 years) elevates them to revered, symbolic figures in a country of low-key politics? Is it because the cautious, consensus-driven cabinet is an institutional emblem of everything Swiss politics stands for? Is it another case of the Swiss being inordinately proud of their so unique (i.e. so different) system? Or is it because the sheer rarity of surprise whips up a desire for exactly that – for a big, juicy upset like in 2007?
For those, especially abroad, who still want to get up to speed before tomorrow’s votes, here’s some help: a video about the “magic formula” which determines how government is composed; profiles of the two Social Democrats battling to fill the one empty seat; and an on-the-ground report from the last election of two new ministers, a year ago.
Direct democracy and multiple tongues: a very Swiss adventure.
Over the past few weeks, attentive citizens might have been surprised to see large billboard-style posters in towns and cities promoting an ominous “no bilingue” initiative. The posterExternal link, which featured a map of Switzerland being bloodily cut with a saw, was for an apparent campaign to abolish multilingualism and install a single Swiss national language (presumably German, which is already spoken by around two-thirds of inhabitants).
However, what would have been a fantastically interesting vote campaign turned out to be a fantastically interesting premise for a film: the posters were publicity for Bon Schuur Ticino, a new comedy about what would happen if the country was suddenly to become… French-speaking! It follows the adventures of a hapless Zurich police officer (with poor French) who travels to Italian-speaking Ticino (pictured) to infiltrate a group of resistance fighters battling to preserve their local dialect. Gags and irony abound.
And despite some mixed reviews, the French-language broadcaster RTS writes todayExternal link that the film has been a hit since its release. In German-speaking parts of the country it’s been one of the most popular releases since the pandemic. Almost 22,000 people flocked to cinemas to see it on its opening weekend – small figures by international standards, but a Swiss success. As for whether it will also do well in the French-speaking parts of the country, we have to wait until it comes out there next February; staggered release dates are another particularity of (for now) multilingual Switzerland.
Advent, Advent: what’s behind the door on December 12?
Sick of Love Actually and Miracle on 34th Street? We have an alternative. Each day in the run up to Christmas, our Advent calendar reveals a film from the archives of the Play Swiss streaming platform. The English-subtitled films range from documentaries about murderers to deep-dives into classic Swiss characteristics like cleanliness. What’s behind door number 12 today? Find out here.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
