swisspolitics.org - stay in the loop, stay connected, have your say
Berne (ots)
On 15 April swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) is launching the new Swiss political platform swisspolitics.org (www.swisspolitics.org). With its slogan "stay in the loop, stay connected, have your say", swisspolitics.org combines up-to-date news with a comprehensive database, plus sophisticated community applications. swisspolitics.org will be available in German, French, Italian and English.
Complete information about all facets of Swiss politics, all obtainable through a single user-friendly interface, plus the possibility of discussion and interaction: that's what the new Internet platform swisspolitics.org offers its users at www.swisspolitics.org.
Staying in the loop - keeping abreast of politics
The news ticker along with a choice of articles keep you informed about daily events, while topic-specific dossiers provide in-depth information. The swisspolitics.org database gives you a better insight into the nature and functioning of Swiss politics. You can obtain important data on all members of the federal parliament - their business interests, membership of commissions and the political offices they hold. For members of the National Council, you can also see how they voted in the last ten open parliamentary votes. By using the interactive "Where do I stand in parliament?" function, swisspolitics.org users can find out which parliamentarians best represent their views.
In addition, the swisspolitics.org database contains detailed information on votes, initiatives, referenda and election results, plus annotated collections of links on the topics "Democracy" and "Humanitarian tradition".
staying connected, having your say, helping to shape policies
swisspolitics.org not only conveys facts and figures about politics, it also lets users take an active role. They can have their say by taking part in online votes and discussion fora. For example, in the runup to the referendums scheduled for 2 June 2002, there will be a discussion forum with Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler-Arnold on the subject of abortion. Users can put forward their own ideas and concerns by launching an Online Petition or setting up their own forum. The swisspolitics.org offering is rounded off with services like the text-message/email "election alarm-clock" and games.
swisspolitics.org is a satellite site of the swissinfo news platform (www.swissinfo.org) and was set up under the direction of the swissinfo Webfactory. The Zurich-based design and communications agency Popeye GmbH was responsible for Web design, while Xwave GmbH, Zurich, handled the technical implementation.
What does www.swissinfo.org offer?
www.swissinfo.org is a multimedia platform for Swiss nationals living abroad and for non-Swiss interested in Switzerland. It provides information in nine languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese) about current events in Switzerland and abroad. In addition, www.swissinfo.org offers a wide range of services to users, such as a geographical information system, a free e-mail address (http://freemail.swissinfo.org) and an information service that provides answers by e-mail to all types of questions about Switzerland (www.swisshelpdesk.org).
Contact:
swissinfo/ Swiss Radio International (SRI)
Nina Wach
Phone +41/31/350'95'61
E-Mail: nina.wach@swissinfo.ch