The week ahead in Switzerland

A visit to Britain by the Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, a nail biting election in canton Thurgau, and the unveiling of a holiday scheme for landmine victims, are some of the events likely to hit the headlines in Switzerland this week.

A visit to Britain by the Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, a nail biting election in canton Thurgau, and the unveiling of a holiday scheme for landmine victims, are some of the events likely to hit the headlines in Switzerland this week.

On Tuesday, the Swiss president will travel to Britain for talks with the culture minister, Chris Smith, who’s also in charge of the sports portfolio. During his visit, Ogi’s expected to meet Prince Charles and attend a celebrity bash at the Swiss embassy in London.

While President Ogi is toasting his British counterpart, a high profile legal case is due to get underway in Switzerland. The failed property tycoon, Peter Krüger, stands accused of embezzling at least SFr24 million from a network of companies in Switzerland, and hiding the money in banks overseas.

Looking ahead to Thursday, the government is due to unveil details of a new scheme giving orphans and landmine victims a chance to spend two weeks at a Swiss holiday camp. The president, Adolf Ogi, has already invited 100 children to come to Switzerland.

Finally, next Sunday, voters in canton Thurgau will elect their cantonal representatives, in what has traditionally been a stronghold of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. Political analysts will be following the ballot closely to see whether bickering on a national level within the People’s Party will affect the outcome.

by Greg Morsbach