Swiss Politics

Rightwing backs all-or-nothing election strategy

This content was published on Nov 29, 2003 At a conference in Sempach on Saturday, 449 delegates came out in favour of pulling out of the seven-strong cabinet if the rightwing party’s demands for a second voice in government are not met. Seven opposed the threat, while 57 abstained. “We can only take responsibility in government when the most capable representatives from our…

Swiss Politics

Swiss ministers not easily unseated

This content was published on Nov 29, 2003 If the rightwing party is successful, it will be only the third time an existing member of the Swiss government has not been re-elected. Under the Swiss political system, there is no provision for a parliamentary no-confidence motion, or for the dissolution of parliament before it has run its term. Cabinet ministers can only be…

Swiss Politics

Rightwing prospers at the expense of Centre-right

This content was published on Nov 28, 2003 In just eight years it has gone from being the smallest of the parties in government to the largest. The People’s Party first entered government in 1929, when its predecessor, the Party of Farmers, Tradesmen and Citizens secured one seat at the expense of the Radicals. It remained the smallest of the four main political…

Swiss Politics

Summit leaders split over bridging digital divide

This content was published on Nov 27, 2003 But the head of the Federal Communications Office, Marc Furrer, told swissinfo that the key issue of funding was unlikely to be resolved before or during the summit. In the run-up to the meeting, Switzerland has been charged with acting as an informal mediator during last-ditch talks with individual countries, aimed at ironing out lingering…

Swiss Politics

Great and good urge Swiss to tie up with EU

This content was published on Nov 27, 2003 The group says EU membership would allow Switzerland to better defend its interests in Europe, and has called on the government to begin talks with Brussels next year. The astronaut, Claude Nicollier, star architects Mario Botta and Jacques Herzog, as well as four former cabinet ministers are among 72 personalities calling on the government to…

Swiss Politics

Is this going to be just talk and no action?

This content was published on Nov 26, 2003 The summit’s objectives are very ambitious, but the organisers believe that holding it in two parts will help to achieve concrete results. The plan is that the measures decided in Geneva will be carried out before the Tunis meeting, where progress will be assessed and a new Action Plan adopted, if required.

Swiss Politics

Geneva Accord maps out new road to peace

This content was published on Nov 24, 2003 The Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, told swissinfo the accord was not a substitute for the “road map” but could provide a new impetus for peace. The “Geneva Accord” was signed by a former Israeli cabinet minister, Yossi Beilin, and his Palestinian counterpart, Yasser Abed Rabbo, in Jordan on October 12, following two years of…

Swiss Politics

China lifts human rights taboo

This content was published on Nov 24, 2003 Peter Maurer’s comments came on the same day that President Pascal Couchepin was accused of giving the Chinese an easy ride on the same issues during his five-day visit to China. Maurer met a Chinese delegation for talks in Bern on Monday – the latest in a series of meetings between representatives from both countries.…

Swiss Politics

Carter calls on US to support peace accord

This content was published on Nov 24, 2003 For Carter, the symbolic peace accord is a “culmination” of all previous accords between Israelis and Palestinians. In an interview with swissinfo, Jimmy Carter said he was “very grateful” to Switzerland for supporting the Geneva Accord. While urging the Bush administration to endorse the initiative, Carter said it was equally important that Washington had not…

Swiss Politics

Jimmy Carter: Camp David to the Geneva Accord

This content was published on Nov 24, 2003 Carter told swissinfo that the accord could help boost the United States-backed road map, but added that the US must rein in its perceived pro-Israeli bias. The unofficial peace plan is backed by a number of Israeli and Palestinian personalities, and the Swiss government has offered financial and logistical support to the initiative. But the…

Swiss Politics

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Swiss Politics

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Rightwing backs all-or-nothing election strategy

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Swiss ministers not easily unseated

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Rightwing prospers at the expense of Centre-right

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Summit leaders split over bridging digital divide

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Great and good urge Swiss to tie up with EU

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Is this going to be just talk and no action?

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Geneva Accord maps out new road to peace

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China lifts human rights taboo

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Carter calls on US to support peace accord

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Jimmy Carter: Camp David to the Geneva Accord

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