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Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Who will replace outgoing Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd? In recent days, almost all possible candidates from her Centre Party (Die Mitte) have turned down the opportunity. But it's now decided: it'll be a two-person race for the post.
Switzerland wanted to motivate Eritrea to cooperate more in the repatriation of rejected asylum-seekers via a vocational training programme. But this has not worked out, and the government has decided to cancel the Swiss-funded initiative in the East African nation.
Meanwhile, a Swiss government-commissioned report documents how people from Tibet and the Xinjiang region in Switzerland are being monitored and intimidated by China.
Finally, Marco Odermatt's ski supplier offers us a glimpse into his preparations for the Alpine World Ski Championships, which begin tomorrow.
Best wishes from Bern!
Viola Amherd’s successor: two candidates from the Centre Party – Markus Ritter and Martin Pfister – have officially declared themselves in the running to take the vacant position in the seven-seat Swiss federal government. This was announced today at a media conference by the Centre Party, which has a claim to the seat in the Federal Council.
The registration deadline for potential candidates from the Centre Party to succeed Viola Amherd (in photo above), who is retiring, was Monday afternoon. In addition to Farmers’ Association President Markus Ritter, who announced his candidacy a few days ago, Martin Pfister, a parliamentarian from Zug, is now also in the running. Both men have now been officially nominated.
The election of a new member of the federal government will take place on March 12.
Following Amherd’s announcement that she would leave the government on March 31, 2025, practically all the big names withdrew from the race, including favourites like former party president Christophe Darbellay.
The Ticino section of the Centre Party caused a stir by announcing a press conference at 1pm today without mentioning the topic. But it was not about the Federal Council election, as Blick subsequently reported.
- Who wants to stand/who doesn’t: Blick External link
Switzerland is ending development aid to Eritrea. The federal government wanted to improve the prospects and career opportunities of young people in the country via vocational training.
The aim was to motivate Eritrea to cooperate more in the area of migration, specially in the repatriation of rejected asylum-seekers. The Swiss authorities had trained hundreds of young people in Eritrea in various professions, Swiss public radio, SRF, reports.
Following an evaluation, the Federal Council has now decided to stop the project at the end of May. Eritrea will continue to only take back people who return voluntarily. The approach of using development aid to persuade Eritrea to cooperate more politically has failed.
The project cost a total of CHF7 million. However, the decision was made independently of the current round of cuts to Swiss development aid. According to the Swiss foreign ministry, the possibility of supporting smaller, selective commitments in the country cannot be ruled out in future.
The Federal Council commissioned a report to document how China monitors and intimidates Uyghurs and Tibetans in Switzerland. The troubling results are a hot potato for the authorities.
The year-old study has caused nervousness in Bern, Tages-Anzeiger reports. The study focused on spying by the Chinese state on minorities and members of the opposition in Switzerland. Those affected reported anonymous phone calls with threats, persecution by unknown people on the street and people who photographed them.
The report is based on an independent scientific study that the Federal Council commissioned on behalf of parliament. After the government received the report it requested changes that could lead to “the extent of the repression being less clearly visible”, said Tages-Anzeiger. Publication was also delayed.
Is the national government keeping it quiet for economic reasons, the newspaper asks. “In addition to diplomatic interests, there are tangible economic interests at play; Switzerland wants to modernise the free trade agreement with China,” it says.
- Article by Tages-AnzeigerExternal link.
Finally we take a look at Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt, who has dominated the season so far. With the World Ski Championships just around the corner, the pressure on his staff is high.
Odermatt (in photo above) is already the most successful Swiss Alpine skier of all time: Will he manage to win one or two medals at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, from 4 -16 February 2025? Much depends on the equipment that he and his team take with them.
The pressure on Odermatt’s team is enormous, as are the expectations of the reigning world champion in the downhill and giant slalom. Odermatt won two gold medals in Courchevel, France, in 2023.
The 20 Minuten tabloid spoke to his equipment supplier, the Swiss Stöckli brand. Every detail is important during the races, says Marc Gisin, head of racing at Stöckli. He is the brother of the ski stars Michelle and Dominique Gisin. Odermatt’s team will take 45 pairs of skis to Saalbach, plus six pairs of ski boots to make sure he’s equipped for any eventuality.
- Report in 20 MinutenExternal link
Picture of the day
Traditional “Chrienser Bööggen” wearing wooden masks gather in Kriens, near Lucerne, to mark the start of carnival. The highlight is “Güdisdienstag” on March 4. Kriens (30,000 inhabitants) is the second largest town in canton Lucerne.
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