Swiss Politics

More independents in local politics

This content was published on Aug 17, 2009 Researchers from the Institute of Sociology at Zurich University, the Swiss Graduate School for Public Administration in Lausanne and the Centre of Excellence for Public Management at Bern University also found that in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 people, political party presence in the executive was virtually non-existent. It was the first time a comprehensive…

Swiss Politics

Swiss accused of checking foreigners at borders

This content was published on Aug 16, 2009 In December 2008, Switzerland joined the Schengen Area, a group of 26 European countries that agreed to do away with regular passport controls within the bloc’s borders. The Czech Republic is also a member. A justice ministry spokesperson confirmed a report published on Sunday that said a Czech delegation had complained in June about unfair…

Swiss Politics

Army could be cut by a third

This content was published on Aug 16, 2009 In a break from the Swiss People’s Party traditional platform, Maurer, a member of the rightwing party, also said the defence ministry was prepared to send the army abroad on humanitarian missions. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, Maurer said no reductions would occur for five or six years. Ranks could be culled from…

Court backs return to Haiti of Duvalier funds

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 The Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona rejected an appeal by the Duvalier family, which had wanted to reclaim the money, totalling SFr7 million ($6.55 million). It now has ten days to consider lodging an appeal with Switzerland’s highest tribunal, the Federal Court in Lausanne. In its ruling, the court said the Duvalier family had failed…

Swiss Politics

Candidates for cabinet

This content was published on Aug 13, 2009 Parliament is due to elect the new cabinet member on September 16. The successful candidate will take up his or her post in November.

Switzerland condemns Suu Kyi sentence

This content was published on Aug 11, 2009 The sentence was announced on Tuesday after a trial in which Suu Kyi was convicted of violating her existing house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to stay at her home. The court sentenced Suu Kyi to three years with hard labour, but this was reduced by the head of the Myanmar junta, Than Shwe,…

Swiss Politics

Arab security concerns worry Geneva tourism

This content was published on Aug 11, 2009 The assault was reported last weekend on the Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya, the second-biggest Arab station after Al-Jazeera. Despite being the top Swiss destination for visitors from the Gulf States, Geneva’s market share is under pressure. After initially denying any knowledge of the assault, on Monday the Geneva cantonal police confirmed that a 48-year-old tourist…

Swiss Politics

Swiss abroad to use e-voting in 2015

This content was published on Aug 8, 2009 She said careful preparations for the introduction of e-voting were necessary to fulfill extensive security requirements, respect the federalist structure and consider the linguistic diversity of the country. “The Swiss abroad are an important asset for Switzerland. E-voting will allow them to exercise their democratic rights,” said Casanova at the annual Congress of the Swiss…

Swiss Politics

What makes Swiss tick in cabinet elections

This content was published on Aug 7, 2009 In an interview with swissinfo.ch, the expert from Bern University and the independent election platform Smartvote explains how the Swiss tick when it comes to replacing a member of the government and why the role of the media remains limited. There is a vacancy in the multi-party cabinet since the Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin announced…

Swiss Politics

Media mania surrounds Dalai Lama visit

This content was published on Aug 5, 2009 Currently in the western part of the country, the Tibetan spiritual and political leader provokes strong reactions from the Chinese leadership, yet is an object of fascination in the West. For Swiss radio reporter Jean-Marc Falcombello, an expert on Asia, the expectations created by the spiritual crisis in the West are fed by the perfect…

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