Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Political knives are out ahead of Swiss cabinet election

This content was published on Dec 5, 2000 The election is one of the most closely watched in recent years. A joint session of the 246-member parliament will choose a successor on Wednesday. The race is expected to be very close, and go to several ballots. Traditionally, the post is reserved for the party of the outgoing minister, but there is no guarantee…

Swiss Politics

Swiss create civilian rapid reaction force

This content was published on Dec 4, 2000 The government approved the creation of the so-called “Swiss expert Pool for Civilian Peace Building” on Monday. It said the aim was make it possible to dispatch up to 100 civilian experts to an international peacekeeping mission at short notice. The foreign ministry said the move was in line with Switzerland’s increasing involvement on missions…

Swiss Politics

The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Dec 2, 2000 The right-wing parliamentary group put forward the canton Thurgau politician, Roland Eberle, as well as the Zurich parliamentarian, Rita Fuhrer, who is seen as representing the party’s hardline faction. But the party decided not to back the two other candidates on the short-list – Samuel Schmid from canton Bern and Christoffel Brändli from canton Graubünden.…

Switzerland to host international conference on relief for Afghanistan

This content was published on Dec 1, 2000 The meeting in Montreux is due to set next year’s priorities for the Afghanistan Support Group (ASG). The organisers said they expected about 90 people to attend the two-day conference. The ASG, set up in 1996, is made up of 16 donor countries, as well as United Nations organisations and non-governmental groups. It seeks to…

Swiss Politics

Ambassador told to keep a lower profile

This content was published on Dec 1, 2000 Deiss summoned Borer to Bern on Friday, and told him he should not do anything which could damage the excellent bilateral relations between Switzerland and Germany. Borer and his wife, the former Texan beauty queen, Shawne Fielding, have featured on the front pages of the tabloid press in Switzerland for several months. Initially, the interest…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland and Bosnia sign repatriation and transport agreements

This content was published on Dec 1, 2000 The justice minister, Ruth Metzler, signed the repatriation document earlier in the week, paving the way for the forcible return of citizens with no right of residence in either Switzerland or Bosnia. Switzerland has similar agreements with Bosnia’s neighbours, the Yugoslav Federation and Croatia. The justice ministry said it hoped the accord would put an…

Swiss Politics

Vietnam opens first Bern embassy

This content was published on Nov 29, 2000 Vietnamese interests in Switzerland have up to now been represented by the country’s embassy in Germany. But the country’s new chargé d’affaires Nguyen Danh Sao said that the transfer to Bern showed Hanoi wanted to strengthen links with Switzerland. At the height of the Vietnam War in 1972, Switzerland opened an embassy in Hanoi. Most…

Swiss Politics

Right-wing party names two candidates for cabinet post

This content was published on Nov 28, 2000 The party’s parliamentary faction met on Tuesday to select from a short-list of four candidates. The federal parliament will elect a successor to Ogi – a member of the People’s Party – on December 6. Fuhrer, who heads canton Zurich’s police department, has the higher profile of the two candidates, and received most votes from…

Swiss Politics

Cabinet election tops parliamentary agenda

This content was published on Nov 27, 2000 The three-week winter session kicks off on Monday, but most of the attention will be focused on December 6, when both houses of parliament are holding a joint session to elect a successor to Ogi, who steps down at the end of the year. Under an informal agreement, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party is entitled…

Swiss Politics

Parliament elects new speakers

This content was published on Nov 27, 2000 The decisions on Monday came at the start of parliament’s three-week winter session. Hess, a Christian Democrat from canton Zug, holds what is nominally the highest position in Swiss politics for the next 12 months. He takes over from Hanspeter Seiler of the People’s Party. Hess was elected to the rotating post with 155 votes…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Political knives are out ahead of Swiss cabinet election

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Swiss create civilian rapid reaction force

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The week in Switzerland

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Switzerland to host international conference on relief for Afghanistan

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Ambassador told to keep a lower profile

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Switzerland and Bosnia sign repatriation and transport agreements

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Vietnam opens first Bern embassy

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Right-wing party names two candidates for cabinet post

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Cabinet election tops parliamentary agenda

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Parliament elects new speakers

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