The residents of Basel are already happy: Jans is the favorite in the Federal Council’s test of strength

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Smile – and disappear quickly. And yes, don’t make any more mistakes. Jon Pult (39) or Beat Jans (59) will become federal councilors today. Yesterday, the two SP candidates for the Federal Council gave no indication of their emotional state. Without saying a word, first Jans and then Pult walked past the waiting journalists and into the parliamentary group room in the middle.

The center was the last group to invite the candidates to the hearing. Less than 24 hours before the elections, the two comrades were given one last chance to convince parliamentarians. A week earlier they had already auditioned for the SVP, FDP and GLP.

Middle doesn’t settle down

The center did not want to commit to a candidate after the hearings. Jans and Pult: I think both are generally suitable. The FDP and the GLP also leave the choice to their parliamentarians. However, from conversations with centrist politicians it becomes clear: Jans will likely be a favorite for many in the political center, especially because of his experience in government. As chairman of the government of Basel, he is more of a statesman than a party politician compared to the Graubünden National Councilor Pult. This obviously means that he not only scores points with the SVP, but also with the center.

Pult is said to have recently made up ground. Some believe that Jans bent too far during the election campaign. It’s a paradox: sticking to your views too much is not good. Giving the consensus politician too much free rein, but also not. Moreover, the Romans do not like that he speaks French rather hesitantly. All in all, the Basel resident is and remains in pole position for the seat of the retiring Alain Berset (51).

At first it seemed like an advantage for Pult. Or rather a disadvantage for Jans, whose sharp comments from the past echoed in the ears of the bourgeois farmers’ lobby. However, that quickly changed. A day before the hearing with the farmers, the ‘NZZ am Sonntag’ reported that the PR agency, where Pult sits on the board of directors, was once responsible for the controversial ‘Stop the agricultural lobby!’ campaign for a yes on the pesticide . initiatives. From that moment on, the label of peasant horror stuck to his desk – and he could not get rid of it until the end.

“I think we have it”

Jans, a farmer by training, “at least had a pitchfork in his hand,” can be heard from the middle. A candidate for the Federal Council with the smell of a stable: this is of course an important argument outside agriculture.

In any case, yesterday, Tuesday, there was already a slight feeling of anticipation among the residents of Basel in the Bundeshaus. “I think we have it,” says one of them. After fifty years, they could soon be represented again in the Federal Council. After the surprising defeat of Basel councilor Eva Herzog (61) last year, people are all too aware: one should not rejoice too quickly.

Source:Blick