Swiss Politics

Election campaigners go on spending spree

This content was published on Oct 17, 2007 The costs for the campaigns are estimated to be at least SFr50 million ($42.2 million) and concerns have been expressed about potential dangers for Switzerland’s democratic system. It is virtually impossible to travel through the country these days without noticing the thousands of billboards for candidates in the run-up to the elections on October 21.…

Swiss Politics

Women seek to reclaim historic guilds role

This content was published on Oct 15, 2007 Traditionalists have rejected a campaign to allow women back into the guilds and play a full part in the famous Sechseläuten festival. But new research lends more ammunition to the women’s cause. Zurich’s guilds used to play a central role in the city’s economic and political fortunes until power was stripped away in the 19th…

Swiss Politics

Women hope a change of face will change minds

This content was published on Oct 15, 2007 Voters in canton Schwyz in central Switzerland are faced with campaign posters showing female candidates with hairy upper lips under the slogan “So that we have a chance.” Men currently hold all six parliamentary seats for the canton, and the women have chosen irony in their battle to change this situation in next Sunday’s elections/to…

Swiss Politics

Swiss heads tough OSCE Mission in Kosovo

This content was published on Oct 14, 2007 Tim Guldimann, the new head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, tells swissinfo why he is optimistic for the province’s future after initial contacts with local leaders. The Serb province of Kosovo, which has been administered by the United Nations for the past eight years since a Nato…

Swiss Politics

Gains forecast for rightwing and Greens

This content was published on Oct 10, 2007 But the gfs.berne research and polling institute cautions that its final survey cannot be read as an election forecast, as last-minute developments could influence voters’ intentions. The Swiss People’s Party with its controversial strongman Justice Minister Christoph Blocher is heading for a record 27.3 per cent of the vote, according to the survey carried out…

Swiss Politics

Amnesty spells trouble for Swiss Bhutto case

This content was published on Oct 9, 2007 A “reconciliation ordinance” issued by the Pakistani government last week grants across-the-board immunity for politicians who were active between 1988 and 1999. Daniel Zappelli, the general prosecutor of Geneva, is facing a quandary. Should the politician and her husband stand trial now that Bhutto has been granted an amnesty by her own country? The couple…

Swiss Politics

Appeals launched in wake of pre-election riots

This content was published on Oct 7, 2007 Critics accused police of failing to stop the militants while others pointed out that the party of the controversial justice minister, Christoph Blocher, had been stoking tensions with its hardline policies. “I’m saddened by the images of violence,” Calmy-Rey said. “A few hundred extremists can’t endanger our democracy,” she told the SonntagsBlick newspaper. Calmy-Rey said…

Swiss Politics

Personalities drive Swiss election campaign

This content was published on Oct 7, 2007 British correspondent Peter Capella tells swissinfo that personalities have played a much bigger role than ever before in Swiss politics, but no major changes are expected. Capella, a veteran journalist who has lived in Switzerland for nearly two decades, is a Geneva-based reporter for news agency Agence France-Presse. He says that despite the more colourful…

Swiss Politics

Curtain falls on last parliament

This content was published on Oct 6, 2007 swissinfo met five senior politicians in the parliament building over the past few days to hear about their careers and hopes for the future. The new parliament will meet for the first time in December following the general elections later this month. The last waltz began for some parliamentarians as early as last Monday when…

Swiss Politics

Pacifists celebrate anniversary

This content was published on Oct 5, 2007 The Group for Switzerland without an Army (GSoA) has seen a number of ups and downs during its first quarter century, but believes it has made a useful contribution to public debate and still has an important role to play. The organisation was founded by young pacifists in Olten, northern Switzerland, in 1982, and was…

Swiss Politics

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Swiss Politics

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Election campaigners go on spending spree

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Women seek to reclaim historic guilds role

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Women hope a change of face will change minds

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Swiss heads tough OSCE Mission in Kosovo

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Gains forecast for rightwing and Greens

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Amnesty spells trouble for Swiss Bhutto case

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Appeals launched in wake of pre-election riots

More

Personalities drive Swiss election campaign

More

Curtain falls on last parliament

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Pacifists celebrate anniversary

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