The Greens want to get serious. Research by Blick shows that you actually want to attack the vacant seat of SVP Finance Minister Ueli Maurer (71) with your own candidacy.
The final decision should be made – or even postponed – until next Tuesday. Because there are still a few doubters. However, a majority of the group is currently clearly in favor of a battle candidacy – regardless of whether SVP favorite Albert Rösti (55), who is considered conciliatory, is active or a hardliner. “Rösti has a more social style, but he represents SVP values just like everyone else,” says a member of the group.
“We don’t want to get stuck all the time”
In purely mathematical terms, the Greens have even been entitled to a seat in government since their landslide victory in the 2019 elections. So far, however, the Federal Council parties have shown no desire to relinquish their power. “We don’t want to be bogged down all the time,” says the Greens faction. Or: “The SVP has not honored our claim, why would we do it the other way around?”
Another argument: if the Greens don’t start now, it wouldn’t be understood. “We would undermine our own claims,” the group says. Especially the strong group of Romands does not hesitate to attack the SVP. “There is no ideal time anyway.” It should sound similar in the party base.
A suicide mission – on principle
The blemish: A green candidacy doesn’t stand a chance against the official SVP ticket. That by far the largest party in the country is entitled to two seats in the Bundesrat is not even disputed by the SP. The Greens know that too. There is already talk of a “Winkelried candidacy” within the party.
Still, many want to stick with the suicide mission — basically as a signal for the claim that they believe is nearly overdue. The question arises as to who should embark on such a hopeless undertaking. After all, the Greens have yet to come up with a personality capable of holding office if they don’t want to make a fool of themselves.
Unlike his predecessor Regula Rytz (60), party chairman Balthasar Glättli (50) will not be available in December 2019. He has said this publicly several times. Glarner councilor Mathias Zopfi (38), who is considered the secret favorite, also waved him off.
A look at the cantons
In any case, no one from the parliamentary group should be burned. In addition, the candidate must have managerial experience. That is why green government councils are already being considered. But there are only nine in Switzerland, five of whom are from French-speaking Switzerland resigning for a Swiss-German Federal Council seat.
Bernese government councilor Christine Häsler (59) and her Zurich counterpart Martin Neukom (36) have both been in office for a short time. Brigit Wyss (62) from Solothurn failed in an election to the Federal Council in 2010. Only the Basel bidder, construction director Isaac Reber (61), remained. He does not deny contact with the search committee of his party. In the faction he is considered a “certainly valid candidacy”. However, the Greens don’t want to show their cards too much.
However, respectable success will probably be difficult to achieve under these circumstances. 82 votes like Rytz, and thus almost a third of all state and national councilors, will hardly be. However, the Greens would once again underline their right to a seat in the Bundesrat with a view to elections in a year’s time.