Switzerland Today
Hello from Bern
Elections and leadership battles are underway in Brazil, Britain, Israel and the US in the next few weeks. In Switzerland, the main political parties are in the starting blocks for the parliamentary elections in 12 months’ time and a bye-election for a post in the Swiss government in six weeks.
But before, here are the latest news and stories from Switzerland on Monday.
In the news: SWISS pilots call off a strike, the Credit Suisse bank to settle a legal case in France, and swissinfo.ch wins praise from experts.
- The pilots of Swiss International Air Lines have decided to drop plans for a strike to press for better working conditions. The pilots’ association Aeropers and airline management reached an agreement at the latest round of negotiations over the weekend, the company SWISS announced on Monday. The pilots of the Swiss flag carrier had threatened to strike next weekend.
- The Credit Suisse group and the French financial prosecution office have agreed to settle a tax fraud and money laundering case in France with a €238 million (CH234 million) payment to the state, a French court heard on Monday. If approved by a court, the payment would resolve the investigation led by the France’s financial prosecution office over whether the Swiss bank helped clients avoid paying taxes on their wealth.
- More than a third (38%) of Swiss don’t follow the news. Young adults in particular are no longer interested in current affairs, according to an annual survey of the Swiss media landscape. SWI swissinfo.ch was also explicitly praised by the authors of the Yearbook Quality of the Media 2022 for its high score, especially for its relevant reporting and the increase in background information.
Gearing up for elections
Switzerland’s political parties are launching their campaigns for the 2023 parliamentary elections. Four of the six main groups announced their ambitious targets at the weekend, two others are to follow shortly.
They all have one thing in common, despite their different political agendas: They hope to win more votes than four years ago, move ahead of competitors or pass a percentage threshold.
The bottom remains: there are 246 seats in total to vie for and six parties are likely to share out virtually most of the mandates, leaving just crumbs to the smaller groups.
In the meantime, the right-wing Swiss People Party, currently the biggest group in parliament with 59 seats, is inching ahead with plans to replace the outgoing finance minister, Ueli Maurer.
Five candidates have come forward by Monday and the party is due to present a shortlist over the next weeks before parliament has the final say on December 7.
Preparing for record train
Final preparations are underway at the Switzerland’s largest private railway operator to set a new record with the longest passenger train. On the 175th anniversary of the Graubünden-based company, it aims to couple together 25 train compositions with 100 carriages and a total length of nearly 2,000 metres to travel along the Albula valley next Saturday.
The attempt is spectacular enough, and the line is also a monument to the pioneering days of railway building and has UNESCO World Heritage status.
No wonder, Renato Fasciati, director of the company, is getting excited. “It is one of the most spectacular railway lines in the world. On some sections, you can see the train on several levels at once thanks to the spiral tunnels. It will be an incredible sight,” he told the Blick newspaper.
Various tests have been carried out. “But it is and remains an experiment that no one has ever tried before and that can also fail,” Fasciati said. “We are hoping for the best autumn weather so that the big railway festival can take place and unique pictures will go around the world.”
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
