Elisabeth Kopp, Swiss Politician Who Made History, Dies at 86

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In 1984 she became the first woman elected to the country’s governing council, but a scandal prevented her from being the first woman to serve as president.

Elisabeth Kopp being sworn in as the first female member of the Federal Council, Switzerland’s governing body, in 1984. Her political foes had tried to deny her a seat by stirring up dirt about husband. | Keystone, via Associated Press
Elisabeth Kopp, who in 1984 overcame accusations involving her husband to become the first woman elected to Switzerland’s governing Federal Council — but who could not overcome another scandal a few years later, also related to her husband, and resigned when she had seemed likely to be the country’s first female president — died on April 7 in Zumikon, southeast of Zurich. She was 86. » | Neil Genzlinger | Saturday, April 22, 2023

Switzerland Has Women Majority Cabinet for First Time
THE TELEGRAPH: The Swiss government has more women in its cabinet than men for the first time in the country's history.

The new Swiss government pose during the autumn Parliament Session in Bern. Photo: The Telegraph
Swiss women have for the first time taken control of the reins of power in an Alpine country that denied any females the vote until 1971.

One Swiss canton, Appenzell Inner-Rhodes, continued to bar women from local elections until 1990, making Switzerland the last European country to introduce universal suffrage.

The historic shift in the balance of power came as the Swiss parliament in Bern voted Simonetta Sommaruga, a Social Democrat MP, on to the cabinet, a Federal Council.

The council is comprised of seven politicians from different parties, four of whom are now women, and does without a fixed Prime Minister or President to rule Switzerland - one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

"It's a great day to see a female majority in the Cabinet," said Claudine Esseiva, a cabinet ministers and member of the pro-business Free Democrats. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Swiss Politics Gets Dirty
THE GUARDIAN: Christoph Blocher, Switzerland's hardline populist leader, was kicked out of the Swiss government yesterday in a coup that plunged Swiss politics into uncertain territory.

Despite leading his anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party (SVP) to a second general election victory seven weeks ago, Blocher, a billionaire businessman and justice minister in the outgoing government, was caught napping by a deft piece of overnight political manoeuvring by Social Democrats and Christian Democrats who blocked his path to cabinet by persuading a party colleague to stand against him.

The defeat for Blocher changed the rules of a normally staid and predictable political culture, and left his party pledging to go into opposition rather than take part in the coalition government that invariably rules Switzerland.

The defeat was due to political plotting by Social Democrats and Christian Democrats who vowed to oppose Blocher, but not his party, and sprang a surprise by backing one of Blocher's party colleagues for his cabinet seat. Switzerland's far-right leader is kicked out of cabinet >>> By Ian Traynor

BBC:
Far-right leaves Swiss government

NZZ:
Shwerer Gang in die Opposition

RADIO DRS:
Blochers Rede (Audio)

Mark Alexander