Archive – Democracy

Swiss Jura to remain divided

This content was published on Nov 24, 2013 About 72% of voters in the Bernese districts on Sunday rejected the proposal, putting on ice the proposed creation of an enlarged canton Jura in northwestern Switzerland. Despite the setback, individual communes can still organise a ballot at a local level within two years aimed at joining canton Jura. In canton Jura itself, 77% of…

Debate rages over ‘romantic’ family model

This content was published on Nov 17, 2013 Voters are due to cast their ballots on November 24 on a popular initiative by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party which calls for tax breaks for parents with children at home to be “at least equivalent” to those for parents using daycare. Opposed by all other main parliamentary parties, except a sizable minority of the…

Barroso warns of dismissing free movement

This content was published on Nov 10, 2013 In an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag, Barroso said Switzerland currently enjoyed privileges never previously afforded to a third state. The free movement of people is set to be a source of much discussion in Switzerland over the next couple of years. At the beginning of 2014, voters will have their say on the…

Wage initiative could affect sports clubs

This content was published on Nov 6, 2013 Researchers from the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) say the potential changes to salary hierarchies within companies could have an impact on athletes, such as high-profile footballers or ice hockey players. An analysis of wage data from the Federal Statistics Office showed that 40-50 people working in…

Canton Jura to vote on its future again

This content was published on Nov 5, 2013 The vote should put an end to the most important territorial conflict in post-war Switzerland. And whatever the result, it is proof of the strength of the federal state and of the system of direct democracy. “I don’t know if the Jura question really will be solved this time once and for all,“ says Dick…

Vote to reunite the Jura fails to inspire

This content was published on Nov 5, 2013 The passions have died down, and the two sides are talking to each other, but as swissinfo.ch discovered, no one really expects the three southern districts to join canton Jura. Moutier, a normal Tuesday in October. It’s 12.30pm and the centre of town is practically deserted. The cold, grey weather does little to encourage a…

Computer scientists struggle to get e-voting right

This content was published on Nov 1, 2013 “Systems currently used in Switzerland do not allow voters any way to check what has happened with their vote. They have no option but to trust the system,” says Rolf Haenni, a professor of computer science at the Research Institute for Security in the Information Society (RISIS) of Bern Technical College, based in the town…

Bodies recovered after military jet crash

This content was published on Oct 24, 2013 The pilot’s body was found on Wednesday evening, but his passenger, a doctor with the Air Force’s Aeromedical Institute, was not discovered until the next day – the searchers’ work being hindered by the difficult terrain. The crash victims will be autopsied. The plane’s data recorder, the so-called black box, has been retrieved. It could help determine the cause of the…

Swiss defend global rail record

This content was published on Oct 21, 2013 Switzerland was followed by Japan, whose residents clocked up an average of 1,912 rail kilometres per person last year. Denmark came third, with 1,365 kilometres per person in 2012. At the other end of the spectrum fell Latvia, with 40 kilometres. In terms of journeys, the Swiss came second to Japan. The average Japanese resident…

Are the Swiss having second thoughts about capitalism?

This content was published on Oct 21, 2013 The shock-waves after the carrying of the popular initiative “against rip-off salaries” in March 2013 have not yet abated, but on November 24 there is to be a nationwide vote on another proposal to put the brakes on the pay of top managers. This is the initiative “1:12 – for fair pay”, which proposes that…

Archive – Democracy

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Archive – Democracy

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Swiss Jura to remain divided

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Debate rages over ‘romantic’ family model

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Barroso warns of dismissing free movement

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Wage initiative could affect sports clubs

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Canton Jura to vote on its future again

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Vote to reunite the Jura fails to inspire

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Computer scientists struggle to get e-voting right

More

Bodies recovered after military jet crash

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Swiss defend global rail record

More

Are the Swiss having second thoughts about capitalism?

Popular Stories

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