Meeting of the presidents of the parliament
On October 13, 2023, the President of the National Council Martin Candinas invited to the meeting of the presidents of the parliaments in the Federal Palace. Initiative Switzerland supported the event and surprised the guests with a gift, which will now be distributed from the federal capital to all language regions of Switzerland.
In addition to representatives from the cantons, presidents of the municipalities, cities and districts whose coats of arms adorn the National Council Chamber were invited. The coats of arms, which represented the most important cities in 1902, were captured using state-of-the-art drone technology . The guests were allowed to receive the image of the coat of arms from the President of the National Council, Martin Candinas, and may now take it to their council chambers.
After Martin Candinas welcomed the 90 or so guests in the National Council Chamber after a morning coffee and croissants, Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr took over and addressed Switzerland's federalism in his speech. During the subsequent question and answer session, the invited representatives confirmed their appreciation of Chancellor Thurnherr, who will retire from office at the end of 2023 after a 30-year career. Maja Riniker, representative and member of the Board of Trustees of Initiative Switzerland and 2nd Vice President of the National Council, then welcomed the guests on behalf of Initiative Switzerland and mentioned, among other things, the courage needed, the need to stand up for each other and the large-scale vision needed for a continued strong Switzerland.
The event was completed with a joint lunch followed by a guided tour of the Federal Palace.
