Swiss Politics

Eritrean asylum seekers face uncertain future

This content was published on Oct 27, 2007 People from Eritrea currently top the list for asylum applications. They accounted for more than 14 per cent of all asylum applications in the first nine months of 2007. Blocher told the media earlier this week that Switzerland’s generosity in granting deserters and contentious objectors refugee status had made it a target for Eritreans fleeing…

Swiss Politics

Main parties undergo shake-up after elections

This content was published on Oct 26, 2007 The rightwing Swiss People’s Party president is leaving on a high after his party effectively won at the polls, but his centre-left Social Democrats counterpart came under pressure to go following a dismal result. People’s Party head Ueli Maurer was the first to announce his decision on Friday. He leaves after more than 11 years…

Swiss Politics

Aid official warns of “shocking” Gaza crisis

This content was published on Oct 25, 2007 For Walter Fust, head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the situation in the increasingly isolated Palestinian territory is “untenable” and “shocking”. “This siege policy [in Gaza] has damaging consequences that require a substantially increased international humanitarian response,” Fust told swissinfo on Wednesday at the end of a four-day visit to Gaza.…

Swiss Politics

Controversial gene tests already used by Swiss

This content was published on Oct 24, 2007 The opposition to this legislation has been such that some Swiss politicians and activists are suddenly worried about a procedure that was already implemented in Switzerland in 2004. The new French legislation tightens the conditions under which immigrants’ families may join them in France, and the amendment that originally would have imposed compulsory DNA testing…

Swiss Politics

Greens bloom after polls but could wither

This content was published on Oct 24, 2007 But despite their gains, experts warn the Greens still face several challenges, among them internal divisions and their relationship with the centre-left Social Democrats. The Greens, the country’s fifth strongest party, increased their number of seats in the 200-strong House of Representatives on Sunday to 20, up from 14 in 2003. The left-leaning party, led…

Swiss Politics

Consensus will still play central role

This content was published on Oct 22, 2007 Political analysts say the centre-right will still play a pivotal role in parliament as in previous years, with the result that major changes are not in the offing. Analysts are quick to point out that the balance of power in the House of Representatives and the Senate has not changed, with the Right keeping a…

Swiss Politics

Swiss digest election result in different ways

This content was published on Oct 22, 2007 While the inhabitants of Unteriberg in canton Schwyz were taking stock of the election results and celebrating an annual fair, for people on Zurich’s main shopping street it seemed to be almost business as usual. The rightwing Swiss People’s Party made large gains in voting for the House of Representatives at the weekend and increased…

Swiss Politics

Foreign media assess Blocher’s tightening grip

This content was published on Oct 22, 2007 The images of riots in Bern and the party’s controversial “black sheep” poster campaign ensured that this year’s parliamentary elections generated unprecedented media attention across the world. Party posters featuring white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag sparked outrage that was blamed in part for a riot two weeks before the election.…

Swiss Politics

Swiss press digest swing to the right

This content was published on Oct 22, 2007 The People’s Party boosted its standing as the biggest group in parliament, scooping 29 per cent of the vote. The other big winner was the Green Party, while the centre-left Social Democrats suffered a major defeat. “After the 2003 elections, this time the People’s Party achieved a real result,” wrote the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, reflecting on…

Swiss Politics

Wind of change set to blow in Swiss politics

This content was published on Oct 22, 2007 They note that Swiss relations with the European Union will not be any easier and that Switzerland’s image abroad may not have been helped. The campaign was dominated by controversy over Justice Minister Christoph Blocher and his People’s Party’s hard-line stance on immigrants and crime. A People’s Party poster campaign depicting white sheep kicking a…

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Eritrean asylum seekers face uncertain future

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Main parties undergo shake-up after elections

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Aid official warns of “shocking” Gaza crisis

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Controversial gene tests already used by Swiss

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Greens bloom after polls but could wither

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Consensus will still play central role

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Swiss digest election result in different ways

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Foreign media assess Blocher’s tightening grip

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Swiss press digest swing to the right

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Wind of change set to blow in Swiss politics

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