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Swiss Politics

Post-tsunami rebuilding gathers pace

This content was published on Dec 23, 2005 Critics say that progress is too slow, but the non-governmental organisations counter that the process has been dogged by administration and ethnic problems and that doing the job properly simply takes time. The east coast has already suffered 20 years of ethnic conflict between the governing Buddhist Sinhalese and the mainly Hindu Liberation Tigers of…

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Tougher immigration rules face opposition

This content was published on Dec 22, 2005 They formally launched a referendum on Thursday against tighter regulations on immigration. The amended law made an unfair distinction between nationals from European countries and those coming from outside, said Green Party parliamentarian Ueli Leuenberger in Bern. He said about 280,000 foreigners from countries outside the European Union and the three member states of the…

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Swiss Politics

Consensus politics is losing its champions

This content was published on Dec 19, 2005 The reason, he says, is that halfway into the legislative term, Switzerland’s consensus-driven political system is being undermined by both left and right. The champions of consensus – the centre-right parties – were dealt a blow in 2003, when the rightwing Swiss People’s Party’s most prominent representative, Christoph Blocher, was elected to the seven-member cabinet.…

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Three ministers given the red card

This content was published on Dec 18, 2005 Micheline Calmy-Rey, the only female cabinet minister, got the highest marks in a survey published on Sunday – ahead of the Swiss president, Samuel Schmid. Some 1,005 people from the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland were asked by a research institute last week which cabinet ministers they would re-elect at the next elections in…

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Swiss Politics

Solution to Swiss-EU funding row “in sight”

This content was published on Dec 17, 2005 Switzerland, which is not a member of the 25-nation bloc, has offered SFr1 billion ($775 million) over five years, but the terms of the contribution have proved difficult. EU leaders agreed on a 2007-2013 budget in Brussels on Saturday after marathon negotiations. Total seven-year spending was set at €862.36 billion (SFr1.37 trillion), which represents 1.045…

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Swiss Politics

Iran president’s comments “self-serving”

This content was published on Dec 15, 2005 Tim Guldimann said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comments were not representative of the Iranian regime or people. Ahmadinejad’s tirade about the Holocaust being a “myth” drew widespread condemnation from the international community – including Switzerland – and calls for United Nations intervention. The foreign ministry said it would not tolerate any doubt being cast on the Holocaust…

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Swiss Politics

Deiss finds safety in numbers in Hong Kong

This content was published on Dec 15, 2005 Joseph Deiss, the head of the Swiss delegation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit, is representing the interests of the G10 group of net agricultural importers. Switzerland, together with countries such as Japan and Norway which heavily subsidise domestic farming, has come under mounting pressure to abandon agricultural import tariffs. Ahead of the summit…

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Swiss Politics

Parliament divided over Swisscom privatisation

This content was published on Dec 14, 2005 The government came in for harsh criticism in parliament during the debate on its plans to fully privatise the telecoms firm. The centre-right Christian Democrats will oppose the sale of the government’s 66.1 per cent stake, its president Doris Leuthard said. The Social Democrats have adopted the same position, promising to force a referendum if…

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Swiss Politics

War of words with Tunis heats up

This content was published on Dec 9, 2005 The Swiss ambassador in Tunis was called to the Tunisian foreign ministry late on Thursday after the four had held talks with the Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey. She had talked with the four, who included two lawyers – Abderraouf Ayadi and Samir Dilou – for 20 minutes. Both had staged a hunger strike with…

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Swiss Politics

Emblem deal earns Swiss top marks for effort

This content was published on Dec 8, 2005 The 192 signatories to the Geneva Conventions approved the “red crystal” by a two-thirds majority after efforts to reach consensus without a vote failed. The crystal offers a more neutral symbol for the Israeli emergency services, which do not use the existing red cross or red crescent. Switzerland organised the conference, which wrapped up in…

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