New Chancellor wanted: how much influence does the eighth Federal Council have?

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The renewal elections for the entire Federal Council will take place on December 13. The States and National Council will choose the successor to the retiring Alain Berset (51).

The position of Chancellor will also be filled on Wednesday. Because: Walter Thurnherr (60), current CEO, will resign at the end of this year after eight years, he announced in mid-August.

The Chancellor is the eighth person in the photo of the Federal Council. The one that makes a lot of people wonder: who is that? And what does a Chancellor actually do? Blick makes it clear – and shows which candidates are applying for the position of Switzerland’s highest civil servant.

The Chancellor (so far only two of the seventeen women) usually belongs to a party of the Federal Council. However, the SVP has never been able to appoint a Chancellor. It is therefore clear to the party that they have a “clear claim” on the office.

On Friday she nominated two candidates: Gabriel Lüchinger (46), former secretary general of the SVP and current head of the international security department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And Nathalie Goumaz (58), Secretary General of the Economy Department.

Another candidate is the current Vice Chancellor Viktor Rossi (55). His disability: he is a member of the GLP, a party that is not yet represented in the Federal Council. Individual factions are already saying: not eligible.

The second vice chancellor, André Simonazzi (55), is also said to have ambitions for the office. The SP member does not show his hand yet. According to SP, there is no fixed schedule yet as to whether and when Simonazzi will be nominated.

The question is whether the FDP and the Center will also work with candidates. The name of a promising middle candidate is circulating: price monitor Stefan Meierhans (55). However, it can be assumed that the two sides will restrain themselves. The FDP because it already has two seats in the Federal Council. The center because they do not want to block the possibility of a future second seat of the Federal Council with a Chancellor.

In Switzerland, unlike in Germany or Austria, the Chancellor is not the most powerful person in the country. She therefore operates with less publicity than the seven members of the state government. And yet it can exert political influence – hence the name “eighth Federal Council”. The person heads the Federal Chancellery, where approximately 340 people work, and coordinates the affairs of the government. It determines which matters the Federal Council discusses and when.

The Chancellor participates in the weekly meetings of the Federal Council. The person is not allowed to vote, but can give advice. She coordinates, helps write reports and even submits applications.

It acts as the communications office of the Federal Council and is responsible for conducting votes and elections for the National Council. For example, she provides the translation of laws or initiative texts and is also responsible for the personal security checks of top officials. She is also responsible for electronic voting.

A Chancellor must have extensive knowledge of the Swiss political system, governance and international relations. He must have excellent organizational and communication skills to mediate between all federal agencies. Diplomatic skills and integrity are also part of the requirements profile.

The work of a chancellor is rewarded with approximately 80 percent of the salary of a federal councilor. That is approximately 360,000 francs per year.

Source:Blick