Exciting race to succeed Berset: Jans starts on pole position

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“Two men are favorites to succeed Berset,” Blick headlined shortly after SP federal councilor Alain Berset (51) announced his resignation in June. And I suspected Jon Pult (39) from Graubünden and Beat Jans (59) from Basel.

An estimate that is now becoming reality: the SP faction has put Jans and Pult on their two-person ticket. After a long debate with 18 rounds of voting. Jans got the first ticket spot. After ten rounds he finally won against Evi Allemann (45) with 29 against 20 votes. Pult never received more than ten votes in these rounds.

However, in the eight rounds of voting for the second ticket spot, Pult was always at the top. In the eighth round he ultimately emerged victorious with 27 votes to 22 against former parliamentary group leader Roger Nordmann (50, VD).

Executive experience is a plus

The result in the SP faction is a first indication: “Jan’s advantage,” says an SP representative to Blick. As a former national councilor and SP deputy who was elected to the Basel government in 2020, he still has good contacts in the parliamentary group. Basel’s State Councilor Eva Herzog (61), who missed the elections for the Federal Council a year ago, strongly supported Jans.

But can he take the wind at his back to parliament when 246 National Council members elect Berset’s successor on December 13? Blick gauged the pulse of more than twenty MPs. There is currently a noticeable trend in favor of Jans. The tenor: Jans starts on pole position.

An important asset is his administrative experience in the Basel government. And: “He is a conciliatory man who can approach people,” said an SP woman. Jans also gets slightly better chances in the middle class camp. “For us it’s going towards Jans,” says a liberal. Yet he is not yet the clear favorite, because a lot can still happen during the hearings.

Jans as a farmer’s fear?

The big question is: how much damage does Jans’ image of peasant terror cause? Because in terms of content, Pult will not receive more joy from conventional farmers than Jans, who as a National Councilor sat on the crucial committees and as a spokesperson fought for more ecological agriculture.

“Is Jans really more anti-farmer than Pult?” asks a Mitte man. “I assume that farmers will now have to make a decision again.” And an SVP member says it is unlikely that the agricultural issue will be a decisive factor in this candidate selection.

Pulpit as a brilliant speaker

What Pult has going for him is that he is considered a bright mind and a brilliant speaker who quickly wins over his audience – and is even able to “appease them”, as one lawmaker puts it. As a former Juso, his cosmopolitanism can also score points with younger parliamentarians.

But the Juso label is a negative, especially for some citizens: Pult is “the favorite of the party leadership.” In the SVP you even hear: “Everything but the desk.” There are already too many Jusos in parliament, so there is no need to take over the Federal Council as well. Moreover, some ordinary people consider him “all-knowing” and “out of touch.”

Basel insists on a seat

The regional issue is also likely to have an impact: Basel is loudly pushing for a seat in the Federal Council, especially after Herzog was not elected. This speaks for Jans, as Graubünden was last represented in the state government by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (67) from 2007 to 2015.

A centrist is already thinking about later elections: “We want Martin Candinas to keep his chances for a seat in the Federal Council,” he says. The current president of the National Council is considered a potential candidate to succeed Viola Amherd (61).

Dissatisfaction among the SVP

There are also some uncertainties. There is great dissatisfaction among the SVP about the SP selection. As with the Sommaruga successor, there will probably be games this time too. Daniel Jositsch (58) and Evi Allemann (45) will cast some votes.

One person who openly thinks about it is SVP Council Member Mike Egger (31): “I am surprised that the SP does not have a woman on the card and I can imagine that I would vote for Evi Allemann,” says St. Gallen originally. “Pult and Jans are considered hardliners and their ability to reach consensus is quite questionable.”

So the race is far from over. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze,” said one lawmaker. The hearings will be of great importance for the candidates. But that’s not all: the entire Federal Council will be re-elected – and depending on the dynamics of the election of the previous Federal Council members, turbulence cannot be ruled out.

Source:Blick