GenevaLunch » UDC

Asylum requests up 8% in April but countries shifting

Ellen Wallace — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:36:37 +0000

GenevaLunch.com BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland’s closely-watched numbers of asylum-seekers rose by 7.9 percent in April, compared to March, showing a continuing significant increase. The countries of origin were markedly different compared to the previous month, however. The country’s relatively high number of foreigners, 22.3 percent of the population and the highest percentage in Europe except for [...]

Asylum requests up 8% in April but countries shifting © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Swiss voters will decide immigration cap question

Ellen Wallace — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:56:29 +0000

GenevaLunch.com BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Federal Chancellery said late Wednesday that enough signatures have been verified to put the UDC-sponsored popular initiative “Against mass immigration” on the ballot. More than 135,000 signatures were gathered; 100,000 are needed to put an initiative to voters. Text of the popular initiative, Fre

Swiss voters will decide immigration cap question © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Swiss political world startled as defender of bank secrecy searched

Ellen Wallace — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:22:10 +0000

GenevaLunch.com Blocher, strategist for right-wing People’s Party, ironically under suspicion for breaking bank secrecy laws ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The search Tuesday 20 March by Zurich police of both the home and the office of Christophe Blocher startled the Swiss political world, in part because Blocher has been a staunch supporter of Swiss bank secrecy. The searches [...]

Swiss political world startled as defender of bank secrecy searched © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Swiss gov’t elections underway: two women are first councilors re-elected (update 2)

Ellen Wallace — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:02:59 +0000

GenevaLunch.com Economy minister Johann Schneider-Ammann re-elected UDC now fighting for Calmy-Rey’s seat, its last chance to add a party member to the council 11:30 BERN, SWITZERLAND – The last of 7 seats on the federal council is the focus of a tough fight between the Socialists and UDC parties, with the UDC arguing that Switzerland’s balance [...]

Swiss gov’t elections underway: two women are first councilors re-elected (update 2) © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Swiss right-wing UDC embroiled in controversy over leaders’ activities

Ellen Wallace — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:51:55 +0000

GenevaLunch.com Correction 11.12.11 ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The UDC People’s Party, Switzerland’s right-wing party that has often made headlines in recent years for its poster campaigns and rhetoric, is back in the news but this time for the activities of its leaders. Christophe Blocher, former party leader and a member of the government for several years, has [...]

Swiss right-wing UDC embroiled in controversy over leaders’ activities © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Switzerland’s foreigners, poor and criminal or rich and comfortable

Ellen Wallace — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:26:40 +0000

GenevaLunch.com ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland, with a foreign population that is 24 percent of the total, is grappling with the extremes they bring: what some consider undesirable foreigners, on the one hand, and on the other hand those who help finance a more comfortable life for their communes. Most, of course, sit somewhere in the middle, [...]

Switzerland’s foreigners, poor and criminal or rich and comfortable © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Swiss went to the polls Sunday and decided . . .

Ellen Wallace — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:34:51 +0000

GenevaLunch.com GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Swiss voters were back at the ballot box Sunday 27 November, a month after parliamentary elections, to vote on a number of items that differed from one canton to the next. Here are some of the highlights, as results flow in Sunday evening: Swiss right loses most runoffs, Geneva rebuffs minimum wage [...]

Swiss went to the polls Sunday and decided . . . © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

New parties strengthen Swiss centre

Laila Rodriguez — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:29:19 +0000

GenevaLunch.com BERN, SWITZERLAND – The slight increase that Swiss political observers were forecasting for the strength of the right during Switzerland’s parliamentary elections failed to materialize as voters turned to new parties to strengthen the centre. The UDC People’s Party and the Greens both lost significant ground to moderate parties with elements of their programs, rejecting [...]

Swiss elections: 1st projections show UDC, Socialists losing ground

Ellen Wallace — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:07:36 +0000

GenevaLunch.com GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The large multi-party centre is gaining ground in Switzerland, to the detriment of the main parties, early results from Sunday’s election for members of parliament seem to show. Four of the governing parties, the right-wing UDC People’s Party and the centre-right PLR (Liberaux Radicaux), as well as the Christian Democrats (centre) and [...]

Swiss elections: 1st projections show UDC, Socialists losing ground © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

Cross-border workers targeted in latest Swiss right-wing proposal

Ellen Wallace — Sun, 29 May 2011 08:59:59 +0000

GenevaLunch.com ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The 23 October 2011 elections in Switzerland are now likely to include a right-wing popular initiative (citizen-launched vote) to limit immigration and re-negotiate the Schengen accord with the European Union. Swiss citizens vote on several popular initiatives a year. This latest one is being launched by the UDC Swiss People’s Party, which [...]

Cross-border workers targeted in latest Swiss right-wing proposal © genevalunch.com, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.