SP Council Member Eric Nussbaumer is the new whistleblower in parliament: the highest Swiss person is that powerful

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An inconspicuous bell represents the power of the “highest Swiss”. Not a cowbell of course, but an official bell. The President of the National Council uses it when a speaker speaks without a period or a comma, when there is excessive talking in the Federal Palace or when a session begins.

Since Monday, a new maestro has been sounding the alarm: SP national councilor Eric Nussbaumer (63). The Grand Chamber elected him President of the National Council with 180 out of 192 votes. This means that the Basel resident heads the Federal Assembly and is considered the “highest Swiss”. The title suggests power and influence, but is more symbolic. In the end you don’t get a stick of power, but a bell.

In any case, Nussbaumer can set the pace on the political stage with the bell. He determines when the National Council discusses a subject, chairs the meetings and represents Parliament to the outside world. His party colleague Eva Herzog (61) will do the same in the future as chairman of the Council of States. Although the city resident of Basel cannot call herself the ‘highest Swiss woman’, as council chairman she is on an equal footing with Nussbaumer.

You can stop politicians from speaking

The two have the greatest influence on controversial topics. If the same number of parliamentarians votes for or against a proposal, the Council presidents are decisive. They are guided by what the previous committee decided. However, this rarely happens.

In addition, the chairmen do not vote and keep to the background in the political circus. They could submit proposals and participate in the debate, but usually do not do so. Just like a conductor who leads the music without playing along.

To do this, they keep an eye on the parliamentarians and ensure order. They check whether requests have been submitted correctly, carry out an attendance check and can impose disciplinary measures. This happens when a councilor violates the rules and procedures. If this happens again, they can ban politicians from speaking, exclude them from a meeting or, in serious cases, ban them from committees for up to six months.

Ultimately, however, the ‘highest Swiss’ is not a judge, but a class representative. He chairs a parliamentary chamber of which he is a member and ensures that chaos does not break out in the parliamentary classroom. But only for a year. Then he has to leave and the vice president intervenes. Because the parties take turns. Ultimately, everyone wants to sound the alarm – and lead the session.

Source:Blick