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And if voters are not always right?

This content was published on May 18, 2014 “Everyone agrees that paedophiles shouldn’t come into contact with children,” says former federal judge Claude Rouiller. But in his view the problem lies elsewhere. “The initiative imposes an automatic and irreversible professional ban on anyone who has been found guilty [of paedophilia]. That goes against the principle of proportionality, which is one of the pillars…

Swiss say no to world’s highest minimum wage

This content was published on May 18, 2014 In Sunday’s nationwide vote 76.3% of voters were against the initiative. Voter turnout was 55.5%. Under the initiative, someone on a minimum wage in Switzerland would have earned double the rate in Britain or the United States. Although high, the Swiss limit was set against the country’s high cost of living, where the median hourly…

Voters back paedophile ban on working with children

This content was published on May 18, 2014 Final results showed 63.5% of voters were in favour of the initiative. It also won the necessary backing of a majority of cantons. Turnout was 55.5%. Opponents, including the cabinet, had claimed the text was too simplistic and made redundant by a new law which comes into force in January. But supporters dismissed these reservations,…

Mühleberg nuclear plant given stay of execution

This content was published on May 18, 2014 Just over 63% of voters rejected an initiative by a group of citizens, according to officials results. It was the first public vote on nuclear energy after the government in 2011 decided to phase out nuclear energy, by gradually decommissioning the country’s five nuclear plants between 2019 and 2034. The Mühleberg plant was opened in…

Wings of air force clipped in nationwide ballot

This content was published on May 18, 2014 Final results show 53.4% of voters came out against the acquisition of 22 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets by the Swedish Saab company. Political analyst Claude Longchamp of the leading GfS Bern research and polling institute says opposition by both the political left and some centrist parties made the difference. “It gives the armed forces something…

UBS division chief: Battle lines are drawn in US

This content was published on May 16, 2014 “My conclusion after a month was if we didn’t act decisively 16% was more likely to be 25% than it was 10%,” says Mr McCann, who was hired from Merrill Lynch in 2009 to run the division and now also runs the group’s investment bank in the Americas. Mr McCann would cajole the top producers…

Compensation claim over the pill turned down

This content was published on May 15, 2014 The young woman’s family claimed she developed a pulmonary embolism after starting to take the contraceptive pill, Yasmin, two months earlier. She was 16 when her gynaecologist prescribed it to her. The girl suffered brain damage as a result of a lack of oxygen, caused by the blockage in her artery. The family claimed the…

‘We’re not the only EU sceptics’

This content was published on May 15, 2014 Switzerland is at an important strategic point regarding its relations with the European Union: by 2016 Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter wants to present voters with an agreement that should address the regulation of institutional questions – a stated government goal. Central issues are the automatic transfer of EU law and the sovereignty of the European…

Google ruling a ‘victory’ – for Switzerland, too

This content was published on May 14, 2014 The European Court of Human Rights made its decision on Tuesday. In an interview in the Wednesday edition of Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, Thür said he believed that the ruling would also apply to Switzerland although it is not a member of the European Union. Google – as well as other internet companies – must be…

The valley at the heart of the watchmaking boom

This content was published on May 14, 2014 From the sleepy town of Vallorbe the small Joux Valley train winds its way through picturesque pastures, stopping off at hamlets from another age. Each side of the valley is covered by dense banks of conifers. Sitting at around 1,000 metres altitude at the far western corner of canton Vaud, this remote region is also…

Internal: Archive

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Internal: Archive

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And if voters are not always right?

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Swiss say no to world’s highest minimum wage

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Voters back paedophile ban on working with children

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Mühleberg nuclear plant given stay of execution

More

Wings of air force clipped in nationwide ballot

More

UBS division chief: Battle lines are drawn in US

More

Compensation claim over the pill turned down

More

‘We’re not the only EU sceptics’

More

Google ruling a ‘victory’ – for Switzerland, too

More

The valley at the heart of the watchmaking boom

Popular Stories

Most Discussed