New parliamentarians – including a Swiss Abroad – sworn in

The Swiss House of Representatives has two new members. Therese Schläpfer and Rudi Berli were sworn in at the beginning of the winter session on Monday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Schläpfer, a member of the right-wing Swiss People's Party for Zurich, is a returnee to the Federal Palace. The 66-year-old was already a member of the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023 but ended up as the first substitute in the autumn 2023 elections. She is now replacing Alfred Heer, who died during the autumn session. Rudi Berli, from the left-wing Green Party, replaces Nicolas Walder, who was elected to the cantonal government of Geneva on October 19. The 62-year-old vegetable farmer and Uniterre trade unionist wants to campaign for sustainable agriculture that produces enough to live on. He also wants to bring in the perspective of a border region. Berli lives in France but commutes to Switzerland to work on a vegetable farm. After Tim Guldimann, who served ...