The Swiss government agreed to make newcomer Elisabeth Baume-Schneider from the centre-left Social Democrats the country’s new justice minister. The other new face, Albert Rösti of the rightwing People’s Party, will take charge of the department of the environment, transport, energy and communications.
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Tres ministerios suizos tendrán nuevo titular en 2023
Karin Keller-Sutter from the centre-right Liberals will be the country’s new finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle sparked by the resignations of two members.
Keller-Sutter replaces Ueli Maurer, who is retiring from the start of next year, in the seven-member cabinet.
Rösti will take over from Simonetta Sommaruga, a Social Democrat, who is stepping down to help care for her husband, who is recovering from a stroke.
Other members of the cabinet kept their jobs following the reshuffle, including Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
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Merry-go-round: how Swiss government ministries are allocated
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When new federal ministers are elected, a reshuffle of ministries often follows. How does it all work?
Under the Swiss model of consensus government, it’s the seven government ministers themselves who decide the allocation of the seven departments. The principle of seniority applies. This means that the longest-serving member gets first choice and the others follow based on the date of their election to the Federal Council.
These choices are then approved by the entire seven-member body. If they cannot agree, a vote is held. But no one is allowed to object. According to parliamentary regulations, Federal Council members have to accept the department assigned to them by their peers.
“The aim of the informal meeting was to find the best distribution of tasks in the interests of the country”, while bearing in mind each person’s interests, said Cassis, who also holds this year’s rotating presidency, at a press conference.
With the departure of Maurer and Sommaruga, Interior Minister Alain Berset is now the most senior member of cabinet. He will take on the rotating role of Swiss president next year, parliament has decided.
Who got what?
Albert Rösti: environment, transport, energy and communications ministry
Elisabeth Baume-Schneider: justice ministry
Karin Keller-Sutter: finance ministry
Alain Berset: interior ministry (as before)
Ignazio Cassis: foreign ministry (as before)
Viola Amherd: defence ministry (as before)
Guy Parmelin: economics ministry (as before)
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Fresh faces, old formula: Swiss government gets new ministers
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Switzerland’s seven-member cabinet, which got two new members on Wednesday, is composed according to the ‘magic formula’ of political consensus.
Accidents during leisure time on the rise in Switzerland
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IN 2024 more people had accidents during leisure time than in the previous year. Some 26% of all sports accidents happened playing football.
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Apple's iPhones have gained further market share in Switzerland. Around half of all smartphone owners used a model from the US tech giant last year.
Switzerland receives poor marks in fight against public sector corruption
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Switzerland is not improving in the fight against corruption according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.
Swiss army identifies gaps in civil aircraft collision warning system
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The Cyber-Defence Campus of the Swiss defence ministry has found two vulnerabilities in the collision warning system for civil aviation.
Swiss parents rely on savings accounts for their children instead of investment funds
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According to the survey, over 60% of parents start saving in the first year of life, and around 10% even before the child is born.
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Switzerland's parliament has appointed two new government ministers to serve in the country’s seven-member executive body.
Fresh faces, old formula: Swiss government gets new ministers
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Switzerland’s seven-member cabinet, which got two new members on Wednesday, is composed according to the ‘magic formula’ of political consensus.
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