Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Dreifuss pledges to fight right-wing political challenge

Swiss President and Interior Minister Ruth Dreifuss on Friday pledged to fight the expected challenge from the right in parliament, saying Switzerland must remain a country of social cohesion.

Swiss President and Interior Minister Ruth Dreifuss on Friday pledged to fight the expected challenge from the right in parliament, saying Switzerland must remain a country of social cohesion.

Dreifuss, speaking to journalists in the capital Berne, made the statement in direct reference to parliamentary confirmation of all seven cabinet ministers on December 15.

The vote in parliament, which is normally a routine procedure, has taken on special significance this time as the right-wing Swiss People’s Party has nominated its populist figurehead Christoph Blocher as the candidate to unseat the Social Democrat cabinet ministers.

The party scored significant gains in parliamentary elections in October and has demanded that it be given a second seat in the seven-member cabinet.

And even though Blocher has admitted that he stands little chance of defeating Dreifuss in parliament, the party’s demand has triggered a heated political debate about the traditional party line-up in the cabinet.

Dreifuss described Blocher and his party as a political force that often ignores political diversities and opposing views.

“The government must guarantee the social cohesion of the country and must make sure that people do not get marginalised,” she said, vowing to do all she could to fight Blocher and his party’s political goals.

From staff and wire reports.

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR