Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Have you ever spent so long in a shop lavatory that when you came out everyone had gone home and you were locked in for the night? Neither have I, but it happened to a man in St Gallen last month. Read on for more on that and some other truly bizarre cases that the Swiss police had to deal with this year.

Keystone / Bodo Marks

In the news:  Financial pessimism, a reborn ski resort, and the resignation of a leading politician.

• The Swiss have a bleak view of the coming year and expect financial losses, nevertheless they do not want to give up their car or holidays. Almost a third of those surveyed expect to have less money in their wallets and accounts in 2024. If they have to tighten their belts, respondents are most likely to want to save on new electronic products and gadgets.
• The mountain railways in San Bernardino in southeastern Switzerland are back in operation after ten years of standstill. The re-opening of the ski resort yesterday is part of Ticino investor Stefano Artioli’s plan to breathe new life into the ailing holiday resort with investments totalling CHF300 million ($360 million).
• Marco Chiesa, president of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, will not stand for re-election at the end of his term of office in March 2024. His party gained nine seats in the federal elections in October, achieving the third-best result in its history. “We still have potential in many areas, but we are in a good position,” Chiesa said.

• Former Swiss senator and prosecutor Dick Martydied today aged 78. “He worked tirelessly for an open Switzerland, human dignity and the rule of law,” tweeted Interior Minister Alain Berset.

© Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

What’s the political landscape for 2024 looking like for Switzerland? Busy – both at home and abroad.

As our look-ahead explains, next year is shaping up to be a gruelling one for the new interior minister, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. The Social Democrat will have to face at least six popular votes, which will often put her at odds with her party. These include votes on pension reform, on healthcare costs and on ending compulsory vaccinations.

Baume-Schneider will be in the spotlight but she will not be the only one with work to do this year. Her party colleague Beat Jans will be taking his first steps in government as head of the justice ministry, where he will have to deal with the delicate issue of asylum-seekers. 

The government will also have to account for its handling of the Credit Suisse affair. In April, it is due to submit a report on the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS. The aim is to analyse the factors that led to the downfall of Switzerland’s second-largest bank, and also to determine why the “too big to fail” regulations did not work. 

Following the federal elections in October, the government will also have to deal with a new parliament that is more to the right and less environment focused. With the increased strength of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party and the left-wing Social Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, it will be more difficult to find compromises.

In foreign policy, 2024 will be the year of closer ties with the European Union. Exploratory talks on a package of cooperation and market access agreements have been more fruitful than expected, but it would be premature to make any predictions. What’s more, the EU is electing a new parliament in the summer and new people will be taking their place at the negotiating table.

Before the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January, Davos will host a new “round of discussions” in January devoted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan. This event is an opportunity for Switzerland to stress its good offices at a time when the geopolitical context is increasingly marginalising Swiss diplomacy. The UN Security Council, which Switzerland will chair for the second time in October, is a case in point: the major powers with veto power assert their interests there, turning the body into a diplomatic debating club. 

© Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud

Being a police officer is generally a very serious job. But fortunately some cases are, well, less serious. Here are some of the most bizarre cases Swiss police had to deal with in 2023.

Don’t move! A German motorist called the cantonal police in Graubünden last month because she was worried that the wind turbine in Haldenstein was broken. The police were able to reassure her that the reason for the lack of movement was simply “no wind”.

Heavy breathing: A two-year-old boy triggered an operation by the Winterthur police in May. They received an emergency call in which only heavy breathing and a small child could be heard. Because the call was interrupted and nobody answered the phone when called back, a police patrol was immediately dispatched to the address. On arriving at the caller’s home, they were relieved to discover that the boy had been playing with his father’s mobile phone and had triggered the emergency call. The “heavy breathing noises” came from the father, who had fallen asleep next to him.

It’s a sting: In canton Fribourg not only jewellery and cars get stolen, but also bees. In May a beekeeper nicked 40,000 bees from a rival and took them to his apiary. The police were able to solve the case of the sticky-fingered thief and returned the stolen bees unharmed to their owner in the neighbouring municipality.

Engaged: In November a man in Haag, canton St Gallen, spent so long on the loo in a shopping centre that he missed closing time and got locked in. The cantonal police were able to free him.

Not so fine: The authorities in Bern had to pay back around CHF330,000 ($400,000) in fines after 9,604 vehicles were wrongly flashed in the city between mid-September and mid-October. It turned out that incorrectly programmed software in a new radar system meant around 7,200 incorrectly issued fines were paid.

Cash and carry: Several ATMs were blown up in Switzerland last year. But why use explosives when you can just load an unsecured, free-standing ATM onto a lorry and drive off with it? Which is what perps did in January at the A1 motorway service station Gunzgen Süd in canton Solothurn. It took a few days before the missing cash machine was noticed.

Busted: If you’re driving home drunk but fancy a quick nap, there are probably better places to do so than a police station car park. That’s where a 30-year-old man in Oberbüren, canton St Gallen, was found by a police patrol in the early hours. A breath sample showed the man was over the limit and had to surrender his driving licence.