Tribune de Genève. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf announced today that she will not seek reelection as a Federal Councillor in December, stepping down from her position as one of the 7-member executive team at the end of this year. Elected to the Federal Council in 2007, after a coup pushed fellow UDC (SVP) party member Christoph Blocher […]
The video behind the Swiss People’s Party’s election success
This week the Economist magazine wrote of the UDC’s (SVP) highly effective election campaign and how it was a key driver of the party’s record breaking success in last weekend’s election. Instead of using the combative slogans of the past, voters were wooed with softer messages. Swiss 2015 federal elections: UDC gains big ground (Le […]
Why this former Swiss president’s days could be numbered
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is currently one of the seven-member Swiss Federal Council, the executive branch of Switzerland’s government. While all seven members act collectively as the head of state, one holds the ceremonial title of Swiss president, acting as the nation’s figurehead for one year. Normally Federal Council members are reelected. Non-reelection of a sitting member […]
Swiss 2015 election turnout: large cantonal differences
20 Minutes. Overall voting participation in the 2015 Swiss federal elections was 48.41% according to the daily 20 Minutes, slightly lower than the 48.5% turnout for the 2011 Federal elections. The 50% mark has not been passed since 1979. The citizens of some cantons were more enthusiastic than others. This time the winner was Schaffhausen […]
Young multicultural Swiss prefer English
A study recently released by ch-x shows that only 28.2% of young people in the academic stream (Gymnase) at high school in French-speaking Switzerland speak German. On the German-speaking side of the rösti graben 40.6% of the same group speak French, still far from a majority. The number speaking a national language, other than their […]
Swiss open criminal proceedings against FIFA president Blatter
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) opened criminal proceedings against the President of FIFA on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and suspicion of misappropriation. The OAG suspects that on 12 September 2005 Mr. Blatter signed a contract with the Caribbean Football Union, when Jack Warner was its President, that was unfavorable for FIFA. […]
Swiss health premium increases spark shock and anger
On 24 September 2015 the Federal Public Health Office (OFSP) announced basic Swiss health insurance premium increases for 2016. Many are in a state of shock. The average increase across all cantons and insurance companies is 4%, however this number masks huge rises for some. Increases vary significantly by canton, insurance company, level of deductible […]
Swiss justice agrees to FIFA extradition
Today the Swiss Federal Justice Office (OFJ) agreed to the extradition of Rafael Esquivel, one of six FIFA managers in custody, to the United States. The decision marks the culmination of a process that started on 27 May 2015 when six of FIFA’s senior managers where taken into custody after Swiss police captured them in […]
On the spot fines for littering. Coming soon to a commune near you.
Tribune de Genève. “If you’re caught with your fingers in the jam, you’ll get a smack on the hand”1 said Marc-Olivier Buffat of the Liberal Radical Party (PLR). The new law will allow commune staff in the Canton of Vaud to issue on the spot fines of up to CHF 200. The proposal lodged in […]
Why is Swiss French so similar to Standard French, but Swiss German so different from Standard German?
Quora.com – where questions are asked and answered by a community of users. Martin Strohmeier says “it is more about culture and attitude towards the countries than the languages itself….by the time of WW1, Swiss German proved to be a useful way of differentiation from other German speakers and to establish their own identity.” Richard […]
