State government speech marathon at home and abroad
Published: Thursday, Aug 1st 2024, 18:40
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The members of the national government held a veritable marathon of speeches at home and abroad on the national holiday. The furthest away on Thursday was Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, who addressed the Swiss abroad in New York.
In her speech at Bowling Green Park, Keller-Sutter referred to the similarities between the democracies in the USA and Switzerland and called for openness to compromise. New York Mayor Eric Adams praised the Swiss ability to strike a balance between opposing viewpoints and the pursuit of mutual recognition instead of belittling political opponents.
Justice Minister Beat Jans said at the farmers' brunch in Schüpfen, Bern, that democracy is designed in such a way "that it can only work together". Working together and seeking consensus is what makes Switzerland what it is. This political culture is valuable and it is important to him that more attention is paid to it.
Home Affairs Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider praised Switzerland's diversity in a Valais vineyard in Saint-Pierre-de-Clages. However, this must go hand in hand with the will to live together and pursue a common project.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis wanted to speak this evening in Sessa in his home canton of Ticino.
President Viola Amherd had already said on Wednesday evening in Möriken-Wildegg in Aargau: "We may speak different languages, but we are not talking at cross purposes. We may have intense and tough debates, but we include everyone."
No one from the Federal Council on the Rütli
Several hundred people celebrated August 1 on the Rütli in the canton of Uri, but not a single member of the Federal Council. The focus was on the unifying factor that holds diverse Switzerland together.
The Mayor of Zurich, Corinne Mauch, Vice President of the Swiss Association of Cities, said at a Rütli podium that the urban-rural divide was smaller than often portrayed in the media.
Event mile in Bern
There were celebrations and parades up and down the country. The Bundesplatz and Bundesgasse in Bern became an event mile. In the Federal Palace, Eva Herzog, President of the Council of States, and Eric Nussbaumer, President of the National Council, invited the public to a discussion in the National Council chamber. And more than 2,400 visitors did indeed turn up. At times, people queued for up to two hours at the entrance control.
In Zurich, a celebration was also planned for the early evening, preceded by a parade. In Zermatt in Valais, the national celebration takes place at over 2200 meters above sea level at Leisee.
Many at the farmers' brunch again
Once again this year, around 280 farming families hosted a brunch to mark the national holiday. Around 100,000 people took part in one throughout Switzerland, as confirmed by the organizing farmers' association.
As every year, Basel celebrated a day early: on Wednesday shortly before midnight with a double firework display on the Rhine, albeit in thundery showers. As in the previous year, this was shortened by a third to 16 minutes.
©Keystone/SDA
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