Swiss petition seeking WHO exit draws over 34,000 signatures

A small, ultra-conservative Swiss political party said Tuesday that it raked in tens of thousands of signatures on a petition demanding that the wealthy Alpine nation withdraw from the WHO.

Around the same time as President Donald Trump ordered the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the Christian fundamentalist Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) party launched a petition for the Swiss to do the same.

The party said in a statement that by the final day of the petition on Monday, it had gathered 34,263 signatures from people eager to see Switzerland -- where the WHO is headquartered- pull out of the United Nations' health agency.

"We are overwhelmed by this great support," it said.

The EDU accused the WHO of "seizing more and more power, patronising states and trying to interfere in every area of people's lives". Its petition calls on the Swiss parliament to withdraw "at the earliest possible date and stop all payments at the earliest possible date".

Armed with the petition, the EDU wants to submit a motion in parliament later this month.

The United States has started its one-year withdrawal process from the WHO, after Trump on his first day back in office on January 20 signed an executive order directing the country to leave the body he had repeatedly criticised over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Argentina has also announced it will withdraw from the WHO.