Swiss Politics Archives - Page 1310 of 1338

More

Swiss Politics

The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 18, 2000 Swiss voters last weekend had the final say on five issues at the ballot boxes. They overwhelmlingly rejected people’s initiatives aimed at introducing quotas for women in parliament and public office. Proposals to ban test tube babies, to halve motorised road traffic and speed up the system of direct democracy were also given short shrift.…

More

Swiss Politics

Party political row over fascism slur heats up

This content was published on Mar 17, 2000 A row between two of the parties represented in government has escalated. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party has refused to apologise for controversial comments by Christoph Blocher (picture) associating the Social Democrats with fascism. The president of the People’s Party, Ueli Maurer, explained his party’s position in a letter to his Social Democrat counterpart, Ursula…

More

Swiss Politics

Party political row heats up

This content was published on Mar 17, 2000 A public row between two of the parties represented in government has escalated. The right-wing People’s Party has refused to apologise for controversial comments about the Social Democrats by of one of its leading members. In a letter published on Friday, the People’s Party said Christoph Blocher, who described the Social Democrats as closer to…

More

Swiss Politics

Government launches campaign for EU accords

This content was published on Mar 17, 2000 The government has launched a campaign to win support for Switzerland’s bilateral accords with the European Union, ahead of a referendum in May. In an unprecedented move, four cabinet ministers kicked off the campaign by extolling the benefits of closer integration with Europe. The foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, made it clear that every effort would…

More

Swiss Politics

Government launches campaign for bilateral accords with Europe

This content was published on Mar 17, 2000 The Swiss government has launched a campaign to win support for Switzerland’s bilateral accords with the European Union, ahead of a referendum in May. Four cabinet ministers kicked off the campaign by extolling the benefits of closer integration with Europe. The government is taking a hard-sell approach to the bilateral accords with the European Union.…

More

Swiss Politics

Construction unions reach compromise deal with employers

This content was published on Mar 16, 2000 A long-standing pay dispute in the Swiss construction industry appears to be over. The economics minister, Pascal Couchepin (pictured centre), said employers and unions had agreed on a compromise, averting possible strike action. The employers agreed to a pay increase of SFr100 a month starting on 1 July, while the unions accepted the introduction of…

More

Swiss Politics

Supporters rally round Solidarity Foundation

This content was published on Mar 15, 2000 Supporters of a planned SFr7 billion national charity have been mobilising to defend the idea, after a key political party surprisingly withdrew its blessing. The withdrawal of the Christian Democrats has dealt a decisive blow to the Solidarity Foundation. In an attempt to shore up the project, the finance minister, Kaspar Villiger, said there was…

More

Swiss Politics

Political row sparks worries over future of consensus politics

This content was published on Mar 15, 2000 Growing acrimony between the left and right in Switzerland is causing concerns that the era of political consensus is coming to an end. In the latest row, the left-leaning Social Democrats have vowed to boycott all cross-party discussions over comments made by a leading right-wing parliamentarian. The Social Democrat parliamentary group unanimously voted to boycott…

More

Swiss Politics

Christian Democrats say Solidarity Foundation is dead

This content was published on Mar 15, 2000 The Christian Democrats have unexpectedly withdrawn their support for the controversial Solidarity Foundation, a planned national charity aimed at helping the needy both at home and abroad. The move has surprised the other backers of the seven billion franc fund, the Social Democrats, the Radical Party and the Finance ministry. The Christian Democrats’ president, Adalbert…

More

Swiss Politics

Authorities urged to take softer line towards Kosovo refugees

This content was published on Mar 14, 2000 A Swiss refugee organisation has called on the government to ease its policy towards refugees from Kosovo. The authorities have given the refugees until June to leave Switzerland, or face forcible repatriation. Denouncing the government’s attitude as unproductive, Switzerland’s Refugee Council said the repatriation programme was unrealistic, and urged that the deadline be delayed. The…

Swiss Politics

Popular Stories

Most Discussed