Historian brings a new proposal into play: the FDP and the Center should share three seats in the Federal Council

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In the discussion about the future distribution of the seats of the Federal Council, historian Urs Altermatt suggests a rotation formula. The FDP and the center party would share three seats – and alternately appoint two members of the Federal Council. From Altermatt’s point of view, this would strengthen the political center.

“If the next member of the FDP Federal Council resigns, the seat will go to the center. If a middle member of the Federal Council resigns later, the seat will go to the FDP,” said Altermatt, describing the proposal in an interview with CH Media newspapers.

But first the FDP must consider whether it wants to become the SVP’s junior partner or position itself between the center and the right pole, the historian said.

Middle miss “momentum of success”

The background is that the Center Party and the FDP were on almost equal footing in terms of voter share in October’s National Council elections – and that the Center has more seats overall in the Federal Assembly, but only one member of the Federal Council has.

Center chairman Gerhard Pfister (61) and Center faction leader Philipp Bregy (45) confirmed at a media conference on Friday that they would not attack the seat of Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in the Federal Council elections in December. In the medium term, his party is aiming for a second seat in the state government.

“So he lacks the momentum of success in 2023,” Altermatt said of Pfister’s strategy. If no member of the FDP Federal Council resigns by 2027, there is a good chance that the second seat will go from the Liberals to the Greens.

Urs Altermatt was professor of contemporary history at the University of Freiburg until his retirement in 2010. One of the main focuses of his research is the history of the Swiss political system and the country’s parties. (SDA)

Source:Blick