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Swiss Politics

Bern welcomes Saddam’s capture

This content was published on Dec 14, 2003 Saddam was captured near his hometown of Tikrit by United States’ forces during a night-time raid on Saturday. A ministry spokesman said the arrest would pave the way for returning sovereignty to the Iraqi people and would fuel a rapid transition to Iraq becoming a democracy. The ministry added that Saddam had subjected his country…

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Mission accomplished for Switzerland

This content was published on Dec 13, 2003 The Swiss secretary of state to the summit, Marc Furrer, told swissinfo that he was satisfied with the outcome of the first phase of the global gathering. The original aim of the WSIS was to bridge the digital divide, but negotiations quickly became entangled in thorny issues such as internet governance, human rights and the…

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Swiss Politics

Protesters call for more women in government

This content was published on Dec 13, 2003 The rally was supported by 30 major Swiss women’s organisations, the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the trade unions. On Wednesday, parliament elected two conservative politicians, Christoph Blocher and Hans-Rudolf Merz, to the seven-member cabinet, which now includes only one woman. Blocher unseated the justice minister, Ruth Metzler, while Merz defeated a female…

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Swiss Politics

Blocher election complicates EU relations

This content was published on Dec 11, 2003 The arrival of the rightwing populist in office could threaten a set of bilateral agreements in force since June 2002. Blocher is a hardline eurosceptic who, throughout his long political career, has campaigned against closer ties with Brussels. In 1992 he helped fight a proposal to take Switzerland into the European Economic Area. The campaign…

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Swiss Politics

Blocher win threatens to split the government

This content was published on Dec 11, 2003 swissinfo asked political analyst Oscar Mazzoleni what effect the hardliner’s presence would have on an already divided cabinet. Blocher unseated the Christian Democrat, Ruth Metzler, in Wednesday’s cabinet election, altering the balance of power among the four main political parties for the first time in more than 40 years. The People’s Party had demanded a…

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Swiss Politics

Press speaks of a conservative revolution

This content was published on Dec 11, 2003 Political motivations dominated the election, some papers pointed out, at the expense of the usual preoccupation with regional and gender representation. Blocher’s election came as little surprise, but some papers feared consensus politics was under threat. “The will of the people has been realised in one important respect – the People’s Party as the strongest…

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Swiss Politics

Switzerland braced for Blocher shockwave

This content was published on Dec 10, 2003 The rightwing Swiss People’s Party was rewarded for its success in October’s parliamentary election with a second cabinet seat. Blocher, the outspoken leader of the party’s Zurich branch, replaces the Christian Democrat minister, Ruth Metzler. Blocher is known for his opposition to the EU and his hardline attitude on asylum. His presence in the cabinet,…

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Swiss Politics

Blocher victory overturns old order

This content was published on Dec 10, 2003 Blocher replaces the Christian Democrat justice minister, Ruth Metzler, shifting the balance of power for the first time in 44 years. Hans-Rudolf Merz of the centre-right Radicals was elected to replace Kaspar Villiger, who is retiring as finance minister. Blocher’s success changes an informal power-sharing arrangement among the four main political parties – known as…

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Swiss Politics

Information Summit kicks off in Geneva

This content was published on Dec 10, 2003 The three-day United Nations gathering officially got underway on Wednesday in Geneva. Pascal Couchepin, president of the event’s host country, opened the summit at a ceremony involving thousands of delegates. “I’m overjoyed to welcome you to Switzerland for this summit,” Couchepin told the crowd. “We are proud to host this summit, which, for the first…

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Swiss Politics

Deiss elected president

This content was published on Dec 10, 2003 Deiss received 174 votes in the election for the rotating post of president, while Schmid won 143 votes in his ballot.The justice minister, Ruth Metzler, was due to become president, but she was not re-elected by parliament.

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