President Amherd postpones trip to Austria due to Covid
Published: Tuesday, Jan 23rd 2024, 17:10
Updated At: Wednesday, Jan 24th 2024, 00:59
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The President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, has had to postpone her trip to Austria. She has fallen ill with Covid-19, as announced by her Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) on Tuesday. The visit was planned for this week. The DDPS has not announced an alternative date.
Swiss presidents traditionally make their first visit abroad to a neighboring country to the east. They meet the Federal President, the Federal Chancellor, the President of the National Council and other government representatives in Vienna. The current Austrian Federal President is Alexander Van der Bellen, the Federal Chancellor is Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).
Due to Amherd's Covid-related illness, Vice-President of the Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter will chair Wednesday's Federal Council meeting, as Federal Council Spokesperson André Simonazzi announced at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. However, Amherd will also take part in the meeting via a secure video conference.
©Keystone/SDA
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