2024 in Switzerland explained

Events in the year 2024 in Switzerland.

Incumbents

• President of the Swiss Confederation: Viola Amherd
• President of the National Council: Eric Nussbaumer
• President of the Swiss Council of States: Eva Herzog

Events

February

• 20 February – In ice hockey, Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss National League wins their first Champions Hockey League title, defeating Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League 3–2 in the final.^[1]

March

• 3 March – 2024 Swiss referendums: Voters accept the initiative to increase monthly pensions, but reject raising the retirement age.^[2]
• 11 March – Five skiers are found dead after they went missing two days ago en route from Zermatt to the village of Arolla. A sixth person is still missing.^[3]
• 30 March–7 April – The 2024 World Men's Curling Championship at Schaffhausen.^[4]

April

• 9 April – The European Court of Human Rights rules that the Swiss government's efforts to tackle climate change are insufficient and violate fundamental human rights, in its first such verdict against a state on the issue, following a lawsuit filed by about 2,500 members of the group Senior Women for Climate Protection.^[5]
• 17 April – The Federal Assembly votes to ban public displays of the Nazi swastika.^[6]

May

• 11 May – Swiss singer Nemo wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden with the song The Code.^[7]
• 15 May – In a suspected terrorist attack, a man stabs six people in Zofingen.^[8]

June

• 9 June – 2024 Swiss referendums: Voters reject limits on healthcare spending and an initiative against compulsory vaccination, while approving the initiative of a new law on electricity.^[9]
• 13 June – Two people are killed and 11 others are injured following a series of explosions inside an underground parking garage at an apartment building in Obersiggenthal.^[10]
• 15-16 June – June 2024 Ukraine peace summit: World leaders meet at the Bürgenstock Resort to advance the Ukrainian peace process.^{[11] [12]}
• 21 June – A court in Geneva sentences billionaire Prakash Hinduja and three of his family members to four years in prison for exploiting domestic workers at their villa in Cologny.^[13]
• 22 June – One person is killed and two others are reported missing after a rockslide hits the town of Lostallo in Graubünden.^[14]
• 25 June – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elects former Swiss president Alain Berset as the Council's new Secretary General, succeeding Marija Pejčinović Burić.^[15]
• 30 June – Four people are killed and two are missing after landslides and torrential floods in Ticino and Valais.^[16]

July

• 11 July – Five people are injured in a machete attack inside an apartment in Saint Gallen. The suspect is arrested.^[17]
• 12 July – Three people are killed and eight others are injured after scaffolding falls off an under construction building in Lausanne.^[18]
• 23 July – The United States invites Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces to ceasefire talks in Switzerland on 14 August.^[19]

August

• 28 August – The Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland convicts two PetroSaudi executives to six and seven years in prison respectively for embezzling more than US$1.8 billion from the Malaysian strategic development firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad.^[20]
• 30 August – Basel is selected to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, defeating a rival bid from Geneva.^[21]

September

• 10 September – A Swiss appeals court convicts Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan of rape and sexual coercion. He receives a three-year prison sentence, with two years suspended. Ramadan still faces multiple other rape allegations in both Switzerland and France.^[22]
• 22 September – 2024 Swiss referendums: Voters reject proposals to increase public funding to create wilderness areas, increase the amount of territory occupied by protected areas and pension reform.^[23]
• 23 September – An American woman dies after using a sarco pod to commit assisted suicide in Merishausen, Schaffhausen Canton. Several people are subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.^[24]
• 27 September –
  • Cyclist Muriel Furrer dies after sustaining serious head injuries in a crash while participating in the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zurich the previous day.^[25]
  • Switzerland officially redefines parts of its border with Italy following topographical changes caused by melting glaciers.^[26]

October

• 1 October – Three children are injured in a knife attack at a daycare centre in Oerlikon, Zürich. The suspect, a 23-year old Chinese national, is arrested.^[27]

November

• 24 November – 2024 Swiss referendums: Voters reject proposals for additional road infrastructure and rent changes, while approving changes to healthcare funding.^[28] In Basel, 66.4% of voters approve funding additional programs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 to be hosted in the city, apart from the event's final.^[29]

Scheduled

• 28 November–15 December – The 2024 European Women's Handball Championship at Basel.^[30]

Art and entertainment

• List of Swiss submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Holidays

^[31]

• 1 January - New Year's Day
• 2 January - Berchtoldstag Day
• 6 January - Epiphany
• 1 March - Republic Day
• 19 March - Saint Joseph's Day
• 29 March - Good Friday
• 1 April - Easter Monday
• 4 April - Näfels Ride
• 1 May - International Workers' Day
• 9 May - Ascension Day
• 20 May - Whit Monday
• 30 May - Corpus Christi
• 29 June - Saints Peter and Paul
• 1 August - Swiss National Day
• 15 August - Assumption Day
• 5 September - Jeûne genevois
• 15 September - Lundi du Jeûne
• 25 September - Saint Nicholas of Flüe Day
• 1 November - All Saints' Day
• 8 December – Immaculate Conception
• 25 December - Christmas Day
• 26 December – Saint Stephen's Day
• 31 December – Restoration Day

Deaths

• 1 January – Niklaus Wirth, 89, computer scientist (Pascal).^[32]
• 6 January – Kurt W. Forster, 88, architecture historian and teacher.^[33]
• 14 January – Christophe Boesch, 72, French-Swiss primatologist.^[34]
• 20 January – Jacques Guhl, 101, writer, poet, and footballer (Lausanne-Sport, Sion).^[35]
• 29 May – Claude Torracinta, 89, Swiss journalist.^[36]

External links

• Online calendar

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2024-02-20 . Hockey sur glace – Genève-Servette est champion d'Europe! . 2024-02-21 . Tribune de Genève . fr.
2. Web site: Bradley . Simon . 2024-03-03 . Swiss vote: 'yes' to higher pensions, 'no' to retiring later . 2024-03-03 . SWI swissinfo.ch . en-GB.
3. Web site: 2024-03-11 . Missing 5 cross-country skiers found dead near Switzerland's Matterhorn. Search for a 6th persists . 2024-03-11 . AP News . en.
4. Web site: LGT World Men's Curling Championship 2024 . World Curling . 4 February 2024.
5. Web site: 2024-04-09 . Top European court hands Swiss women victory in landmark climate ruling . 2024-04-11 . Al Jazeera . en.
6. Web site: April 17, 2024 . Swiss vote to ban swastika in crackdown on extremist symbols . .
7. Web site: May 12, 2024 . Eurovision 2024: Switzerland's Nemo wins the most controversial edition of the song contest . .
8. Web site: May 15, 2024 . Man wielding a knife injures several in Swiss town of Zofingen .
9. Web site: Plüss . Jessica Davis . 2024-06-09 . Swiss voters reject limits on healthcare spending . 2024-06-10 . SWI swissinfo.ch . en-GB.
10. Web site: 2024-06-14 . Swiss voters reject limits on healthcare spending . 2024-06-14 . Associated Press . en-US.
11. News: O'Carroll . Lisa . 2024-06-15 . World leaders to gather in Swiss resort in attempt to forge Ukraine peace plan . 2024-06-16 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
12. Web site: Kennedy . Joshua Berlinger, Niamh . 2024-06-16 . Major Ukraine summit ends with fresh plea for peace but key powers spurn final agreement . 2024-06-16 . CNN . en.
13. Web site: 2024-06-21 . 4 members of a billionaire family get prison in Switzerland for exploiting domestic workers . 2024-06-22 . AP News . en.
14. Web site: 2024-06-24 . 1 person found dead and 2 still missing after floods, rockslide hit a Swiss Alpine village . 2024-06-24 . AP News . en.
15. Web site: 2024-06-25 . Reynders defeated in race to lead Council of Europe . 2024-06-26 . POLITICO . en-GB.
16. Web site: June 30, 2024 . Four dead, two missing after landslides, floods in southern Switzerland . .
17. Web site: 12 July 2024 . A man armed with a machete attacks his neighbors in Switzerland, wounding 5 . 12 July 2024 . Associated Press . en-US.
18. Web site: 12 July 2024 . At Least Three Dead As Scaffolding Collapses In Switzerland . 12 July 2024 . Barron’s . en-US.
19. Web site: US announces Sudan ceasefire talks . 2024-07-24 . TRT Afrika . en.
20. Web site: Swiss court convicts two executives for embezzling $1.8bn from 1MDB . 2024-08-29 . Al Jazeera . en.
21. Web site: Swiss city of Basel is chosen to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest . 2024-08-30 . Associated Press . 30 August 2024 . en.
22. Web site: Tariq Ramadan convicted of rape in Switzerland . 2024-09-10 . BBC . en-GB.
23. Web site: Birds, bees and ballots: Swiss voters reject plan to better protect the country's biodiversity . 2024-09-24 . Associated Press . 22 September 2024 . en-US.
24. Web site: Multiple arrests after US woman uses machine-assisted suicide in Switzerland . 2024-09-24 . France 24 . 24 September 2024 . en-US.
25. Web site: Swiss cyclist Furrer dies after crash at Worlds . 2024-09-27 . BBC . 27 September 2024 . en-GB.
26. Web site: Switzerland and Italy redraw border due to melting glaciers . 2024-09-30 . BBC . en-GB.
27. Web site: Three children injured in knife attack at Zurich daycare centre . 2024-10-01 . BBC . en-GB.
28. Web site: 2024-11-24 . Seven lessons from the November 2024 Swiss referendums . 2024-11-25 . SWI . en-US.
29. Web site: 2024-11-24 . Eurovision 2025: Basel votes yes to funding song contest . 2024-11-25 . Euronews . en-US.
30. Web site: New organisational structure for women's EHF EURO 2024. . 16 March 2023. 2 December 2023.
31. Web site: Switzerland Public Holidays 2024. 2 December 2023 . Public Holidays Global.
32. Web site: 2024-01-03 . Niklaus Wirth ist tot: IT-Welt trauert um Erfinder von Pascal . 2024-01-20 . winfuture.de . de.
33. Web site: Viva . Arquitectura . Kurt W. Forster (1935-2024) - Luis Fernández-Galiano . 2024-01-20 . Arquitectura Viva . en.
34. Web site: 2024-01-17 . Помер приматолог Крістоф Беш . 2024-01-20 . UAZMI . uk.
35. Web site: Carnet noir: Jacques Guhl, pionnier de la formation des footballeurs en Valais et poète, est décédé . 2024-01-20 . Carnet noir: Jacques Guhl, pionnier de la formation des footballeurs en Valais et poète, est décédé . fr.
36. Web site: Décès du journaliste Claude Torracinta . 2024-05-29 . Frapp . fr.