Swiss nerves jangle after Trump victory

Published on November 6, 2024

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Donald Trump’s re-election as president of the United States has split opinion in Switzerland, with many people fearful of the consequences for the Alpine state.

This content was published on November 6, 2024 - 14:41

Swiss President Viola Amherd has congratulated Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance and reiterated the strong scientific and economic ties between the two countries.

Switzerland, like the rest of the world, has been left to reflect on the possible impact of Trump beating Democrat candidate Kamala Harris to become the next US president in January.

Reaction from Swiss politicians was predictably divided between parties of the left and right.

“Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, peace, women’s rights and climate protection,” wrote Green Party vice-president Nicolas Walder on the social media platform X.

+ What the US election result could mean for Switzerland

Fabian Molina, a Social Democrat member of the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee, also took to X: “At a time when multilateralism, climate protection, democracy and human rights are under threat globally, a second term for Donald Trump in the USA is devastating news for the world.”

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‘Wokeist’ values rejected

But the right-wing Swiss People’s Party struck a different tone. Parliamentarian Nicolas Kolly told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA that Americans had “rejected the wokeist values” of Harris. Kolly is confident of strong relations between Bern and a Trump administration.

“Trump’s election could also strengthen Switzerland’s historical position of neutrality,” he added, speculating that Switzerland could act as peace negotiator if Trump goes through with his promise to end the war in Ukraine.

The Swiss media focused on Trump’s near miraculous comeback after criminal convictions and being blamed for the 2021 storming of Congress by angry mobs.

“Apparently, the memory of these events has long since faded for the majority of Americans,” said the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in an editorial. “The same rules don’t seem to apply to him as to everyone else. In this race, too, he followed his instincts and not his advisers.”

“Everyone knows how this man functions and dysfunctions in power,” reads an editorial in the newspapers Tribune de Genève and 24 heures. “The majority of Americans voted with full knowledge of the facts. They preferred clarity, even if it was shaky, to the vagueness of the other side.”

US free trade agreement?

Swiss businesses have also picked a pragmatic approach despite concerns of rising tariffs and trade wars that could be a feature of the next US administration.

Swissmem, the lobby group that represents many Swiss manufacturing exporters, expressed fears on X of “the threat of even more protectionism”. This is especially concerning because the US is the second most important export market for Swiss technology firms.

But Swissmem is also confident that Swiss industry can thrive during the next US regime. “Switzerland played its cards well during the first Trump administration. Under Trump II, Switzerland can also seize opportunities and build on its strengths,” it said. This could start with a free trade agreement with the US, the industry group added.

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This content was published on Nov 4, 2024 As president, Donald Trump gave Geneva’s international organisations a rough time. Kamala Harris will likely not deviate too much from Joe Biden’s policy.

Rapprochement with the EU?

One answer to US protectionism could be for Switzerland to repair its battered relations with the European Union. Several Swiss politicians believe Trump’s return injects an extra sense of urgency into ongoing Swiss-EU talks.

“Switzerland will have to ask itself whether a rapprochement with the European Union is now not inevitable,” Carlo Sommaruga, vice-chair of the Senate foreign policy committee, told Keystone-SDA.

“After the clear result of the US election it is important to close ranks in Europe in terms of economic and security policy,” Centre Party parliamentarian Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter wrote on X. “Switzerland must invest even more in security. Switzerland and the EU have an equal interest in stability.”

This is a point also echoed by the Green Party’s Nicolas Walder. “All over the world, right-wing populists and autocrats are gaining ground. The only way forward for Swiss democracy is to forge closer ties with its European neighbours.”

What could Switzerland and the United States learn from each other today?

What could the two democracies learn from each other?

Sep 5, 2024

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Edited by Balz Rigendinger/ts

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