Fabian Molina, a member of Switzerland’s National Council, has put forward a motion to have the wording of the preamble to Switzerland’s constitution changed, according to 20 Minutes. Molina, a member of the young socialists from Zurich thinks the wording of the preamble to the constitution, which opens with the words “In the name of […]
Switzerland sets timetable for Covid-19 vaccination certificates
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has announced a timetable for the roll out of certificates providing proof of vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The government is under pressure from business groups to issue Covid-19 immunity certificates as part of a strategy to get the economy back to normal. A recent letter sent to […]
Most Swiss support giving more rights to foreigners
A recent survey suggests that most Swiss support giving more rights to foreigners. A majority of Swiss (52%) surveyed either strongly (21%) or largely (31%) agree that foreigners should be granted political rights, for example the right to vote at communal or cantonal level, believing it would help with integration. The overall percentage was 5 […]
Bernese town to become part the canton of Jura
Today, a majority of voters in Moutier, a municipality in the canton of Bern voted to break away from Bern and become part of the canton of Jura, Switzerland’s newest canton, which was carved out of the canton of Bern in 1979. Voter turnout was high (89%) in Moutier today. 2,114 (55%) voters versus 1,740 […]
Moutier – Swiss town to vote on breaking away again
Over the years some in the mainly French-speaking town of Moutier have tried to have the town removed from the canton of Bern and added to the canton of Jura, a movement dubbed “Mouxit”. In Switzerland, changing cantons is a big deal. Many things, such as tax rates, health systems, education systems and official languages […]
Around 8,000 protest against Covid-19 measures in Switzerland
On 20 March 2021, around 8,000 people assembled in Liestal in Switzerland to protest against government measures to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The protest, which was authorised by the authorities, drew people from across Switzerland. According to a report by RTS, around 8,000 people were present, a number lower than the 8,500 […]
Swiss upper house votes to raise pension age for women
As Switzerland’s population ages the number of people paid state pension is rising relative to the number of workers funding it. Since 2014, more has been paid out than has been paid in. The most effective way to fix this imbalance is to raise the pension age. If the average life expectancy of a retiree […]
Swiss burka ban passed with support of muslims and feminists
On 7 March 2021, a vote to ban face covering was accepted by 51.2% of Swiss voters. The proposal achieved majorities in 20 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons. Only in the cantons of Graubunden, a canton with a large tourism sector, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Bern, and the urban cantons of Basel-City, Geneva, Zurich did a majority of voters reject the ban […]
Farming lobby hurting Swiss chocolate sector, says industry association
Swiss chocolate sales went into steep decline in 2020, according to ChocoSuisse, Switzerland’s chocolate industry association. The amount of chocolate produced in Switzerland in 2020 was 10% lower than in 2019 and sales revenue was down by 14.5%, a sharp drop. In 2020, Swiss chocolatiers produced around 180,000 tons, 20,000 tons less than the year […]
Swiss women granted right to vote 50 years ago this weekend
On 7 February 1971, Swiss women were granted the right to vote after a referendum on the subject. This weekend marks the 50-year anniversary. An early notable event in the fight for women’s suffrage in Switzerland was a demand to have the right included in a revision of Zurich’s cantonal constitution in 1863. However the […]
