Swiss Senate votes to spend CHF11.3bn on foreign aid

The Swiss Senate has approved a total of almost CHF11.3 billion for aid to be spent abroad over the next four years, which broadly follows the Federal Council's proposal. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox During the vote, the parliamentary chamber approved each of the three government resolutions on international cooperation with a clear majority. The Swiss People's Party and the Radicals voted against. + Expert group proposes CHF4-5bn in cuts to federal budget A motion for referral by Benjamin Mühlemann (Radical Party) was unsuccessful. The Glarus native wanted foreign aid to make savings of CHF2 billion in favor of higher military spending. Esther Friedli (Swiss People's Party) wanted to reduce the credit for development cooperation by CHF800 million. However, her individual motion was also rejected. + Switzerland's autumn parliamentary session explained Amendments from the ranks of the Social Democrats also failed to find a majority. The main issue was ...