Swiss Politics Archives - Page 1188 of 1338

More

Swiss Politics

Swiss back drive for peace in Chechnya

This content was published on Oct 4, 2003 The Swiss branch of the Society for Threatened Peoples hosted the first meeting of the coalition just ahead of Sunday’s presidential election. The Chechen Civil Society Forum aims to promote peace in the republic, which has endured almost a decade of conflict. “We have been working on the topic of human rights violations in Chechnya…

More

Swiss Politics

Parliamentarians wave goodbye to life in politics

This content was published on Oct 3, 2003 swissinfo caught up with Vreni Spoerry, Claude Frey, Rosmarie Dormann and Ruedi Baumann just before their departure from Swiss political life. Vreni Spoerry, regarded as one of the most influential female politicians, has debated and argued in parliament for more than 20 years. During her time, the member of the Radical Party has noticed that…

More

Swiss Politics

House of Representatives throws out asylum cuts

This content was published on Oct 3, 2003 An alliance of Left and Right called for a review of the effect the cuts would have on Switzerland’s asylum system. The cuts are part of government proposals to save SFr3.3 billion in spending over the next three years. The proposals will now go back to the Senate for further discussion. They go hand-in-hand with…

More

Swiss Politics

House trims planned spending cuts

This content was published on Oct 2, 2003 Parliamentarians on Thursday voted to limit the cuts to SFr2.8 billion over the next few years, partially sparing pensions and education. The Swiss finance minister, Kaspar Villiger, said he was pleased that the package had been approved, despite the amendments. “It is positive that the parliament has actually managed to finalise such a plan in…

More

Swiss Politics

Voters leave government to the politicians

This content was published on Oct 2, 2003 That is power reserved for parliament, which elects the cabinet under a power-sharing system that has been in place since 1959. That power-sharing arrangement – known as the “Magic Formula” – shares out cabinet seats based partly on the parties’ share of the vote, and partly on the need to have Switzerland’s three language regions…

More

Swiss Politics

Parties out to counter apathy among young voters

This content was published on Oct 2, 2003 Campaigners are urging them to use their ballot. But can young voters make a difference? With less than three weeks to go, the youth wings of Switzerland’s four main parties have been pulling out the stops to persuade young Swiss to go to the polls. But they have their work cut out: in the 1999…

More

Swiss Politics

Business urges voters to balance the books

This content was published on Oct 1, 2003 As the October 19 elections draw closer, business groups are urging a return to “fiscal balance” and closer ties with Europe. “We’ve come seriously out of balance over the past ten years,” Rudolf Ramsauer, the chief executive of the Swiss Business Federation, told swissinfo. “It’s absolutely essential that we return to fiscal and financial balance,”…

More

Swiss Politics

Political campaign without a theme

This content was published on Oct 1, 2003 The political parties seem more interested in the future composition of the new government. For several months, the Bern-based GfS research institute has been publishing the results of its polls into the strengths of the different parties. It has also shed light on the preoccupations of the Swiss population. It has emerged that the Swiss…

More

Swiss Politics

Bergier report heading for the classroom

This content was published on Sep 30, 2003 But the move is opposed by some Swiss who claim the study gave an unbalanced view of their country’s actions during the Second World War. Completed in March 2002, the Bergier report was highly critical of perceived failures by the Swiss government and private industry. Headed by history professor Jean-François Bergier, the study found major…

More

Swiss Politics

“Gold rush” Sutter had Swiss ties

This content was published on Sep 28, 2003 But the Swiss remember Sutter as an adventurer from the town of Burgdorf, who ran out on his wife and children, leaving them to face his angry creditors. To mark the bicentenary of Sutter’s birth on February 23, 1803, the castle museum of Burgdorf in canton Bern is staging an exhibition on his life. In…

Swiss Politics

Popular Stories

Most Discussed