Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has suffered a heart attack and has been placed in an artificial coma. Swissinfo.chThe Federal Chancellery announced on Sunday afternoon that Merz had suffered the attack on Saturday evening and was in a critical but stable condition.
Merz, aged 65 and this year's vice-president, has been transported by a helicopter of the Swiss Air-Rescue service from St Gallen to Bern University hospital for an operation later today to stabilise his heart condition.
The Swiss president, Pascal Couchepin, has cancelled a trip to New York where he was due to attend a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
The president of the Radical Party, Fulvio Pelli, said he was concerned about the health problems of Merz.
Taken by surpriseHe told the Associated Press news agency that everyone had been taken by surprise because Merz had looked in good health.
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A sign of our times. Merz and the Swiss franc may pull through together, but I would be careful about walking underneath the windows of any US bank headquarters for a while.