Switzerland Today

Greetings from Bern,

feeling festive yet? Pretty much the entire country received some snowfall today further enhancing the pre-Christmas atmosphere.

Of course, the municipal snow ploughs and salt-spreading vehicles will soon turn it all into brown slush with great Swiss efficiency. We’re enjoying it while it lasts. Ok, maybe not all of us.

A glimmer of hope for the return of e-voting? Keystone / Martial Trezzini

In the news: e-voting, 2G, illegal handouts and job cuts.

• Some progress on the e-voting front even if progress is glacial. The federal government has announcedExternal link that the legal basis for cantons to conduct e-voting trials will be ready by mid-2022. From the consultations, there seems to be a general approval of e-voting but a lot of discord about how it should be rolled out. 
• The government has proposed two options to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the number of cases rises. The first option foresees a roll-out of the so-called “2G” rule, limiting entry to indoor public places – restaurants, bars, concert halls, cinemas etc. – to those who are either fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or recovered from it. The second scenario goes further, proposing a blanket closure of those places where wearing a mask is not possible, for example bars, restaurants, gyms and nightclubs.
• A move by the city of Zurich to distribute CHF2 million in basic aid to clandestine migrants has been blocked External linkfor violating the law on foreigners. The 18-month pilot project called “basic economic aid” was meant to tackle hidden poverty in the city known for its high-spending bankers. 
• French train manufacturer Alstom announced it will cut 150 jobs at its plant in Villeneuve on Lake Geneva. It lost a huge contract worth CHF2 billion to Swiss rival Stadler Rail in October. 

Some argue that Hesse got a taste of the literary life in Basel. Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

Culture corner: Homage to a mystic son

The city of Basel is naming a square after the German-Swiss writer and philosopher Hermann Hesse and kicking of a festival in his honour. After a turbulent childhood, he was able to find peace and incubate his literary career in the tranquil but intellectually stimulating atmosphere of the city. The author of tomes such as Siddhartha and Steppenwolf won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946.

Cassis is the man of the moment after winning most votes in parliament for the president post in 2022. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Friday frivolity: What happened to Signor Presidente?

A photoshopped picture of Ignazio Cassis, who will assume Switzerland’s rotating presidency next year, has been making waves on TwitterExternal link. The blast from the past featuring a groovy sofa and palm trees by the window is more Miami Vice than Federal Palace.