Swiss Abroad

A winning formula

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 It shared out cabinet posts in a way that mirrored the linguistic and political landscape of the time, but four decades later it no longer reflects the parties’ share of the vote. The division of seats (four for German speakers, three for Latins) still corresponds to the linguistic composition of the country. In the last…

From Radical state to “Magic Formula”

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 The first coalition government came into being in 1891, and since then power sharing has become characteristic of the way Switzerland is governed. The most ambitious power-sharing arrangement has been the “Magic Formula”, established in 1959, in which cabinet seats are shared out among the four main parties. The Radicals developed and largely imposed the…

Swiss Politics

Voting procedure before election day

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 A few days later the party leaders interview the candidates and make an initial recommendation to their own parliamentary group. Approximately a week later the parliamentary group interviews the candidates again and draws up a shortlist. These names are then proposed to parliament (the Senate and the House of Representatives). The shortlisted candidates are usually…

Swiss Politics

Voting procedure on election day

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 A candidate rarely reaches an absolute majority on the first ballot. Voting is by secret ballot. Theoretically all Swiss citizens are entitled to be candidates for the first two ballots. From the third ballot onwards, no new candidates are permitted. Only those candidates who have already received votes in the first two ballots stand a…

Swiss Politics

Micheline Calmy-Rey – Geneva’s iron lady

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 The local minister was the favourite to succeed Dreifuss. Calmy-Rey has been in charge of Geneva’s finances since 1997. Her cool demeanour and often pugnacious and aggressive manner have earned her the nickname, “Cruella”. A native of canton Valais, Calmy-Rey studied in Geneva and earned a degree from the Graduate Institute of International Studies. The…

Swiss Politics

Ruth Lüthi – an outsider and wild card

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 But there were two major obstacles: she originally hails from the German-speaking part of Switzerland and her canton is already represented in the government. Lüthi has been a local minister since 1991, when she became head of canton Fribourg’s public health and social affairs department. Although born in Grenchen in the German-speaking part of Switzerland…

Swiss Politics

More of the same

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 In all probability Ruth Dreifuss will be replaced by another Social Democrat – one of the party’s official candidates. A convention dating back to 1959 – commonly known as the “Magic Formula” – ensures that there is a representative balance in government between the country’s different political and linguistic blocks. “As far as replacing Dreifuss…

Swiss say no to tougher asylum laws

This content was published on Nov 24, 2002 Of 2,240,000 votes cast, a tiny majority of some 3,422 came out against the initiative. The result is provisional, and will only be confirmed in six to eight weeks. In the closest vote on a people’s initiative since 1891, the Swiss rejected by 50.1 to 49.9 per cent a proposal which would have effectively closed…

Swiss Politics

Asylum vote cliffhanger

This content was published on Nov 24, 2002 The United Nations says the controversial rightwing proposal would make Swiss asylum laws among the most draconian in the industrialised world. But the Swiss People’s Party, which tabled the proposal, has said the new laws would cut back on abuse of the country’s asylum system by limiting the number of asylum applications. Benefits would also…

Swiss vote on tighter asylum laws

This content was published on Nov 23, 2002 The initiative would limit the number of applications and cut benefits by slapping a work ban on asylum seekers. The government and the Swiss Refugee Council both oppose the initiative, but the vote is expected to be close. Aliki Panayides of the People’s Party dismisses claims that a “yes” vote would lead to Switzerland introducing…

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