Switerland politics-

So, politics.

I wrote in one of my very first blogs that I am interested in politics. And that is still the case. I thought that I BiH I was at the apex of difficult political systems. Of course I was wrong. The political system of Switserland is almost as complex as that of Bosnia. Politics here are a bit less rough, a bit less hostile, but still vague.

I have been here now for about six weeks, and it seems as if there have been elections every weekend that I have been here. And maybe that actually was true, but no one seems to be able to explain me what the elections were for. Except for the elections of last weekend. Those were the elections for the national government. And the right wing party won. Apparently in a small landslide. However, because of the system of having only 7 ministers in the cabinet of whom only one can belong to this covertly racist party, they will not have a majority in government.

According to one of my my Swiss professors, last Sundays's election day was a sad day for Switzerland. Nevertheless, every cloud has a silver lining: the first non-white parliamentarian ever was elected for the National Council of Switzerland: Ricardo Lumengo. He was quoted saying 'I am the back sheep', with reference to the add of the right wing SVP, in which a black sheep is seen being kicked out of Switzerland by white sheep. The right wingers might have won, but their first implicit promise, articulated on that poster, was broken on election day...