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Swiss Politics

Parliament extends aid package after debate

This content was published on Sep 29, 2004 The package, worth SFr400 million ($321 million), will allow Switzerland to keep supporting former Soviet-bloc nations’ transition towards democracy. The House of Representatives voted on Monday in favour of extending the present line of credit, which would have run out at the end of the year. Paolo Janke, secretary of the House’s foreign affairs commission,…

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Swiss Politics

Right sees perpetual campaigning as key to success

This content was published on Sep 27, 2004 Political analyst Julian Hottinger told swissinfo the party’s success was down to its formidable political machinery and disregard for consensus. The People’s Party pulled no punches in its efforts to persuade voters to reject two government initiatives to ease citizenship rules for young foreigners. Advertisements with images of black hands snatching Swiss passports, pictures of…

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Swiss Politics

Senate rejects plan to use excess gold for pensions

This content was published on Sep 27, 2004 Parliamentarians voted on Tuesday in favour of giving the cantons two-thirds of the funds raised, with the remaining third for the federal government. Earlier this year Switzerland’s other parliamentary chamber, the House of Representatives, supported a proposal to invest the bulk of the proceeds in the old-age pension scheme. The difference of opinion between the…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss keep young foreigners at arm’s length

This content was published on Sep 26, 2004 They also turned down a plan to prevent the closure of rural post offices, but finally approved statutory maternity benefits, which were voted on for the fourth time. Christoph Blocher, the Swiss justice minister, said the government would have to accept voters’ decision on citizenship, adding there were no plans to present new proposals. His…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss test online ballot in nationwide vote

This content was published on Sep 26, 2004 Citizens in four communities in canton Geneva were given the option of voting online in a federal ballot, and nearly 22 per cent took up the opportunity. Of the 22,000 voters in Anières, Cologny, Carouge and Meyrin, 2,723 chose to cast their votes online in four ballots on easing citizenship, introducing statutory maternity benefits nationwide,…

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Swiss Politics

People’s Party pushes the right buttons

This content was published on Sep 26, 2004 In an interview with swissinfo, Clive Church, a leading foreign expert on Swiss politics, explains why the party is setting the agenda once again. Opinion polls had predicted that the People’s Party would fail in its bid to maintain tight restrictions on citizenship. After making big gains in last year’s parliamentary elections and claiming a…

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Swiss Politics

Analysts fear vote outcome will dent Swiss image

This content was published on Sep 26, 2004 They fear that the double no vote will reinforce the view of Switzerland as a conservative nation leaning ever further to the right. On Sunday, a majority of voters and cantons turned down two proposals which would have made it easier for young foreigners – many of them born and raised in Switzerland – to…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss keep citizenship barriers in place

This content was published on Sep 26, 2004 Another vote on slowing down Post Office reform was also thrown out, but a ballot on introducing statutory maternity benefits looked likely to pass. Final results showed that plans to ease citizenship rules had failed to secure a majority of the cantons – a necessary hurdle for any vote to change the constitution. French-speaking cantons…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss keep citizenship out of easy reach

This content was published on Sep 26, 2004 But they did approve statutory maternity benefits for working women. Another ballot, on slowing reforms to the state-owned Post Office, failed to pass. Working women were the only winners in Sunday’s votes. The Swiss finally decided to introduce statutory maternity benefits after throwing out similar proposals on three occasions in the past. But voters sided…

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Swiss Politics

Rightwing People’s Party slammed by rivals

This content was published on Sep 24, 2004 In full-page advertisements in Swiss newspapers, they denounced the party’s descent into gutter politics. Political observers say the move marks a further erosion of Switzerland’s long-standing tradition of consensus politics. Swiss politics has been in transition for several years, following the rise of the People’s Party. The shift to the right in last year’s parliamentary…

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