class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
Imagine that the public regularly votes on whether you can still do your job, whether you are still good, whether you are still liked. If you don’t get enough votes, you lose your job and have to pack your things.
Sounds harsh? It is. Every four years there is a major change of seats in the Federal Assembly and parliamentarians have to defend their positions. It’s that time again on October 22.
And so politicians across the country are currently smiling from billboards, handing out flyers in town squares, drawing attention to themselves with slogans and even sticking out their elbows. If they do not get enough votes, they will have to leave the Bundeshaus. At the last elections in 2019, these were 29 national councilors and 3 state councilors.
The defeat affected her personally
Non-elections are unrelenting. Former national councilor Rosmarie Quadranti said bluntly after being voted out in 2019: “I feel bad. There is nothing to soften.” The 66-year-old had been politicking for the BDP in the Grand Chamber for eight years. “And then I had to go. “It felt like a deadline,” she says today. “It pulled the rug out from under me.”
She knew the problem was her little party and not her. And yet it affected her personally. “It took time to be able to look ahead again. But at some point it worked.” Since 2022, she has been doing what she loves most: politics. She is a municipal councilor in Illnau-Effretikon ZH.
This article was first published in the paid offer of beobachter.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.
This article was first published in the paid offer of beobachter.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.
Heinz Brand is enjoying all the free time he has today. Like Quadranti, he served on the National Council for eight years. In October 2019, the votes were not enough for re-election. Although at that time he was SVP president in the canton of Graubünden. Surprisingly, he was overtaken by the Climate Alliance, consisting of the SP, GLP and the Greens.
“It was bitter to break off so close to the top.”
The 68-year-old recalls: “As the day went by, I saw the election results trickling in. It became clear that I couldn’t do it.” Of course he was disappointed. Especially since he had the prospect of becoming president of the National Council. “It was bitter to stop so close to the top.”
But the bad feeling was put into perspective when he saw what his successor could or could not do: the session was canceled in 2020 due to the corona pandemic, representative tasks were no longer necessary and state visits were canceled.
Looking for a new job
Brand says he knows colleagues who have suffered immensely after not being elected and falling into an existential hole. “Especially if they only gambled on the politician card and were already older. Then it is fatal if the votes are not enough. Also financially.” Although the militia principle applies to the large and small chambers, most parliamentarians are full-time politicians. In other words, after you’re voted out, you have to look for a new job.
Quadranti registered with the RAV after she was not elected – and deregistered again the same day. “That just didn’t feel right to me.” Financially, she could partly make ends meet with her pension fund, widow’s pension and income from smaller jobs.
If you are voted out of office as a member of the National Council, this will mean the abrupt loss of an average of 132,500 francs per year. For councilors it is 142,500 francs. Those who are no longer elected may be able to receive bridging support. However, this is paid out for a maximum of two years and amounts to a maximum of 2,450 francs per month. After the 2019 elections, the bridging pension was paid to six people – a total of 130,000 francs.
The trembling before the elections
Adrian Wüthrich wants to know again in October. The 43-year-old SP man rose to the National Council in the spring of 2018, but had to leave it again in the autumn of 2019. He was swept out of parliament by the wave of women. Now he wants to fight his way back. “I still have a great desire for this office and would like to exert political influence.” But it will probably be difficult for the chairman of Travailsuisse: “The polls for the SP are positive, but I have strong competition on the SP’s men’s list. And winning a seat is anything but certain.”
The Greens and the FDP are also expected to lose seats in October. In the canton of Zurich, this makes Green National Councilor Meret Schneider a shaky candidate. She is participating in the final phase of her election campaign, handing out flyers and activating contacts. Re-election is not certain for the 31-year-old. She knows she doesn’t have the best place on the list.
She had nothing to lose when she ran for the first time in 2019. “It’s different now.” There is great identification with the office. The feedback from the population, the feeling of being able to make a difference. She currently doesn’t have a plan B: “I make a plan A and put all my energy into it. If that doesn’t work, I’ll make a new plan A.”
Christian Wasserfallen of the FDP has won four elections since 2007. This time too, the Bernese is cheerful. But you should always consider voting out: “It’s a latent risk that resonates. You have to be prepared for that. It is not the same as an employment relationship where you have a notice period of three months. It is without notice and therefore cruel.”
He is bothered by the word ‘deselection’
A conversation with an SP politician who was not re-elected in 2019 shows that the wounds of being voted out have not always fully healed, even four years later. For him, the matter is over and he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. He also does not want to read his name on ‘Observer’. Not in this context.
The wording also bothers him: there can be no question of ‘de-selection’, after all, he managed to attract thousands of votes at the time. He insists on talking about a ‘loss of a seat’. Or even better: from a ‘non-affirmation’. Apparently it makes things better for him. Maybe just more bearable.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
