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Swiss Politics

Toni Bortoluzzi – stalking horse for the right

This content was published on Nov 26, 2002 To that end, the rightwing party put forward Toni Bortoluzzi, a member of its Zurich section, as an alternative candidate for the Social Democratic seat. His chances of being elected were nil since the two other main parties on the right and centre-right, the Radicals and the Christian Democrats, were not prepared to consider a…

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Swiss Politics

Vote reveals extent of unease over asylum

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 Political analysts told swissinfo the outcome sent a clear message that politicians must take more seriously calls for a stricter asylum policy. “We’re confronted with the feeling that nothing has really been done with the refugee issue,” said Julian Hottinger, senior researcher at the Institute of Federalism, Fribourg University. “People weren’t really looking to pass…

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Swiss Politics

Dreifuss leaves behind a controversial political legacy

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 Even her political opponents concede that her retirement on December 31 marks an end of an era in Swiss politics. Dreifuss reached the high point of her career in 1999 when, as part of Switzerland’s rotating presidency, she became the first woman to be the country’s head of state. In her ten years as interior…

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Swiss Politics

A winning formula

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 It shared out cabinet posts in a way that mirrored the linguistic and political landscape of the time, but four decades later it no longer reflects the parties’ share of the vote. The division of seats (four for German speakers, three for Latins) still corresponds to the linguistic composition of the country. In the last…

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Swiss Politics

From Radical state to “Magic Formula”

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 The first coalition government came into being in 1891, and since then power sharing has become characteristic of the way Switzerland is governed. The most ambitious power-sharing arrangement has been the “Magic Formula”, established in 1959, in which cabinet seats are shared out among the four main parties. The Radicals developed and largely imposed the…

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Swiss Politics

Voting procedure before election day

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 A few days later the party leaders interview the candidates and make an initial recommendation to their own parliamentary group. Approximately a week later the parliamentary group interviews the candidates again and draws up a shortlist. These names are then proposed to parliament (the Senate and the House of Representatives). The shortlisted candidates are usually…

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Swiss Politics

Voting procedure on election day

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 A candidate rarely reaches an absolute majority on the first ballot. Voting is by secret ballot. Theoretically all Swiss citizens are entitled to be candidates for the first two ballots. From the third ballot onwards, no new candidates are permitted. Only those candidates who have already received votes in the first two ballots stand a…

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Swiss Politics

Micheline Calmy-Rey – Geneva’s iron lady

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 The local minister was the favourite to succeed Dreifuss. Calmy-Rey has been in charge of Geneva’s finances since 1997. Her cool demeanour and often pugnacious and aggressive manner have earned her the nickname, “Cruella”. A native of canton Valais, Calmy-Rey studied in Geneva and earned a degree from the Graduate Institute of International Studies. The…

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Swiss Politics

Ruth Lüthi – an outsider and wild card

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 But there were two major obstacles: she originally hails from the German-speaking part of Switzerland and her canton is already represented in the government. Lüthi has been a local minister since 1991, when she became head of canton Fribourg’s public health and social affairs department. Although born in Grenchen in the German-speaking part of Switzerland…

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Swiss Politics

More of the same

This content was published on Nov 25, 2002 In all probability Ruth Dreifuss will be replaced by another Social Democrat – one of the party’s official candidates. A convention dating back to 1959 – commonly known as the “Magic Formula” – ensures that there is a representative balance in government between the country’s different political and linguistic blocks. “As far as replacing Dreifuss…

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