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Swiss Politics

Election confirms polarisation of politics

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 The centre-left Social Democrats held on to second place, but the two main centre-right parties suffered significant losses. “It’s an astonishing result for Swiss People’s Party,” political analyst Andreas Ladner told swissinfo. “It’s a victory for the Right.” The People’s Party won 55 out of 200 seats in the House of Representatives, while the centre-left…

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Rightwing wins Swiss parliamentary elections

This content was published on Oct 20, 2003 The party called it a “historic victory” and demanded an additional cabinet seat, putting forward a leading party figure, Christoph Blocher, as its candidate. According to final results released on Monday, the People’s Party gained an additional 11 seats in the 200-member House of Representatives, taking its total to 55. The party’s share of the…

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Swiss Politics

Triumphant rightwing wants Blocher in the cabinet

This content was published on Oct 19, 2003 The party called initial results a “historic victory” and demanded an additional cabinet seat, putting forward a leading party figure, Christoph Blocher, as its candidate. The People’s Party looks set to win an additional 12 seats in the 200-member House of Representatives, taking its total to 56. Exit polls show it won 27.2 per cent…

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Clock ticking for vote counters

This content was published on Oct 19, 2003 Under the Swiss federal system, cantons are free to choose how they process the results, resulting in a variety of methods being used across the country. Cantons have different ways of selecting their counters. While some counters are chosen by the authorities, others are put forward by political parties. In some cantons, people are obliged…

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Swiss Politics

Waiting for the right result

This content was published on Oct 19, 2003 With the polls closed, results from the cantons are trickling in and will be closely watched for clues about the final outcome. But political analyst, Hans Hirter, warns against trying to build up a picture of what will emerge at a national level from early returns. “We’ll have to wait until the results from the…

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Swiss Politics

When voting was an adventure

This content was published on Oct 18, 2003 Nowadays, election day is rather more sedate, with the country waiting for results already largely confirmed by exit polls. Civilised Geneva was notorious for political violence during elections. Votes were held in a building known as the “boîte à gifles” (roughhouse) because of the fights that broke out and the unsubtle methods of persuasion used…

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Swiss Politics

Parliamentarians jockey for positions

This content was published on Oct 18, 2003 In the run-up, interest has focused on several hotly contested seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Centre-right most under attack. Although parliamentary elections are increasingly seen by the media as a national event, most of the political wrangling takes place at a cantonal level. Elections are held every four…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss diplomat appointed to oversee UNHCR

This content was published on Oct 17, 2003 swissinfo spoke to Jean-Marc Boulgaris, the new chairman of the agency’s executive committee, about some of the difficult tasks that lie ahead over the next 12 months. The UNHCR has been providing aid for refugees around the world for more than 50 years. But it is now having to redefine its role in the face…

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Swiss Politics

Elections unlikely to alter Swiss politics

This content was published on Oct 17, 2003 But Switzerland’s elections on Sunday are unlikely to have much influence in the short term over the composition of the government. Italians, French and Germans with an interest in politics find it hard to understand why the make-up of the Swiss government has remained unchanged since 1959. In Europe it is usual for parties to…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss make headway in Iran over human rights

This content was published on Oct 16, 2003 swissinfo caught up with senior diplomat Peter Maurer, who led the Swiss mission, to find out what had been achieved. During their stay, Swiss officials held talks with the Iranian authorities on prison reform, corporal punishment and the ratification of international human rights accords. The Swiss government says it hopes to receive an Iranian delegation…

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