Herzog, Jositsch or Nordmann?: The Wild SP trio comes into the picture in the elections for the Federal Council

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There were only two candidates left… Five SP men and one SP woman had initially shown interest in succeeding the retiring federal councilor Alain Berset (51). And during the SP tour of Switzerland, all six publicly promised that they would not be elected into the state government as savages.

Tempi passati. What does yesterday’s chatter count in politics? On the one hand there is the SVP, whose party leadership has made it clear several times that it will only vote for someone from the SP ticket if he or she offers a choice. But suddenly party representatives express doubts about whether Jon Pult (39) and Beat Jans (59) are even eligible.

Army for Duke

In addition to the regular candidate for the Federal Council, Daniel Jositsch (58), who is especially popular on the right of his SP, the SVP also includes the long-standing former parliamentary faction leader Roger Nordmann (50) and Eva Herzog (61), who has just been elected chairman of the Council of States and was celebrated as such on Wednesday. Mentioned as possible wanted members of the Federal Council of the SP. Technically, all three would have been expected to hold the position of federal councilor. But this time they are not on the SP double ticket.

It is actually unlikely that Herzog, for whom SVP national councilor Alfred Heer (62), spoke out, will be available as a federal councilor. It would be an insult to resign as chairman of the Council of States again. However, the Basel woman did not respond to attempts to contact her.

Reliable or opportunistic?

That leaves Nordmann and Jositsch. The fact that the former party leader almost ended up on the SP’s two-person ticket as Welscher is more than just a respectable success. People in his group also know that with him they would have a strong SP representative in the state government. The other factions know this too. Nevertheless, he enjoys a good reputation among them. Anyone who wants a strong state government would likely be hard-pressed to completely discount Nordmann. He is also considered reliable.

Jositsch is not said to have the latter. It’s more opportunistic. Within his own faction, the status of the relationship with him has long since changed from “it’s complicated” to “completely confused.” When Jositsch was the only one in Federal Bern who still hoped to get the SP ticket, he was suddenly nice to everyone. Completely contrary to his nature. He courted anyone he hoped would help him – whether a party member, lobbyist or press representative.

In the meantime, he gives everyone the cold shoulder. Jositsch does not want to answer questions about non-nomination and the elections for the Federal Council next Wednesday. He ran away. He doesn’t respond to calls.

Blocher is no better either

While even SVP pioneer Christoph Blocher (83) advises against the election of State Councilor Jositsch to the Federal Council, because it would be ‘suspicious’ if someone wanted it as much as the Zurich resident, so many citizens are still playing with his election that it is clear: on December 13, Jositsch should receive about 60 votes. What follows remains to be seen. Many in his own group are convinced that Jositsch would accept an election that contradicts his promise.

And Nordmann? On the sidelines of the celebration of his party colleague Eric Nussbaumer (63) as chairman of the National Council and his party colleague Herzog as chairman of the Council of States, he simply said: “Such speculations make no sense. With Jans and Pult we have two good candidates.”

If, despite all previous promises, surprises occur here and there on election Wednesday, the SP exponents are still not entirely innocent.

Nowhere in Swiss politics is there more lying than around the elections for the Federal Council. Anyone who says they do not want to become a federal councilor is lying, says Blocher. The SVP doyen is probably right – and as if to prove it, he immediately starts fooling himself. Only he, says Blocher, never wanted to be like that.

Source:Blick