Many Swiss politicians and members of the public remain angry about the recent rushed government deal to head off the potential collapse of Credit Suisse. This week a majority of the National Council, Switzerland’s federal parliament, voted in favour of measures to reduce the risk systemic big banks pose to taxpayers, reported RTS. Spearheaded by […]
Parliament rejects use of Swiss-German for official debates
This week, parliament rejected a motion put forward by Lukas Reimann, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) from St. Gallen, to allow the use of Swiss-German in official federal political debates, reported RTS. Switzerland has four national languages, however, many Swiss tend to fluently speak only one of them, although among federal politicians […]
Swiss parliament votes in favour a new public holiday to celebrate democracy
There is a lot of democracy in Switzerland. In addition to national federal elections every four years citizens get to vote on a number of federal referenda four times a year. There are also cantonal elections and referenda along with voting at a municipal level. With all of this voting, an extra day off to […]
Initiative launched to add equality for disabled to Swiss constitution
According to a group representing the disabled in Switzerland, equality for all people including the disabled should be included in Switzerland’s constitution. A group of associations launched a popular initiative this week for a vote to effect this, reported RTS. To launch a referendum in Switzerland, organisers must collect 100,000 signatures within 18 months. According […]
Top Swiss court rejects vote on free public transport
In December 2020, a group led by the youth branches of the Green and Socialist Parties in the canton of Fribourg launched a cantonal initiative to introduce free public transport. However, ahead of a cantonal vote the proposed wording had to be approved by the Federal Tribunal to ensure it was compatible with Switzerland’s constitution. […]
Swiss voting age of 16 rejected by commission
A federal voting age of 16 is unlikely to be introduced soon in Switzerland after a parliamentary commission charged with looking at the possibility rejected the idea this week, reported RTS. On 21 April 2023, the commission rejected the idea by 14 votes to 11 and recommended dropping the plan. After consulting with Switzerland’s cantons […]
Switzerland could burn more wood and biomass to meet sustainability goals
A report published this week by WSL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research, calculates Switzerland could double the amount of energy it gets from burning biomass to 97 peta joules (PJ) a year, with 50 PJ coming from wood combustion. In 2019, Switzerland generated 41 PJ of energy burning wood. This […]
Switzerland’s first female minister dies
On 14 April 2023, the death of Elisabeth Kopp, the first woman appointed to the Federal Council, Switzerland’s cabinet, was announced. Elisabeth Kopp, died on Good Friday at the age of 86 after a long illness, reported SRF. The Zurich native was the first female member of the Federal Council after being elected on 2 […]
Swiss efforts to cut energy consumption deliver mixed results
On 31 August 2022, when an energy shortage loomed, Switzerland’s federal government launched a campaign to cut the nation’s energy consumption. Targets were set to cut gas consumption by 15% and electricity use by 10%. Data published this week showed cuts to gas consumption exceeded the voluntary target set, while cuts to electricity were well […]
Credit Suisse: Swiss parliament rejects 109 billion government backstop
When a bank run started at Credit Suisse in mid-March 2023, a rushed acquisition deal involving UBS, the Swiss National Bank and Swiss federal government was agreed. The deal, which includes CHF 109 billion of federal government guarantees, was agreed by the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive. This week Switzerland’s parliament rejected the CHF 109 billion federal […]
