class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>
Beat Jans (59) did it. Shortly after noon, in the third round of voting and with 134 votes, the Basel resident was elected to the Federal Council. Jans succeeds Alain Berset. This means that Basel has a Federal Council for the first time since the resignation of Hans-Peter Tschudi at the end of 1973.
At 12.12 pm Jans, who had been following the elections on a screen in a side room on the ground floor, entered the hall of the National Council, applauded the United Federal Assembly, Jans received his first congratulations and received a standing ovation.
At the lectern, he begins his speech saying, “This moment fills me with joy and respect.” He thanks you for your trust in all four national languages. His top priority will always be the well-being of his boss – “And that’s the people.”
“Today is a big day!”
Jans continues to say hello and thank you – also to his family, who are very important to him: wife Tracy and the two daughters Mia (15) and Zoë (18). “You’re looking at a screen…”. The camera turns to the stands, where his wife and children have now sat down and they wave at him. Jans laughs in surprise and waves back.
Then he says calmly but respectfully: “I hereby declare that I accept the election.” He receives a bouquet of flowers from council chairman Eric Nussbaumer and a brotherly hug from his competitor Jon Pult (39).
The hours before: 7.15 am, performance by Beat Jans. He arrives at the Federal Palace with his wife Tracy in pouring rain. And as if he had already suspected what would happen after noon, Beat Jans announced early in the morning, with the sound of an election winner: “Today is a big day!”
Herzog trauma to the back of his head
There is so little missing at the moment to get elected to the Federal Council. At the same time so much more. Because: During elections for the Federal Council, it is rarely clear the night before who will be the cook and who will be the waiter. Jans already knew it in the weeks and days before: every word he said would now be weighed in gold. Nothing in politics is more unpredictable than the outcome of the Federal Council elections.
With his government experience and as a city resident, Jans may be the most obvious choice on paper, but the Herzog trauma of last year has taught not only him, but all of Basel, to be careful. After the completely surprising non-election of the State Council, we certainly do not want to rejoice too early this time.
The six sitting federal council members have been elected. Now comes the decisive seventh voting round for Beat Jans and Jon Pult. The cool of the early morning has given way to tension for the Basel resident: “A very important moment is coming!”
A lot is going through his mind now: has he chosen the right strategy? Was nothing important forgotten during his campaign? Has he contacted the right people?
With Läckerli the differences with the farmers were overcome
One of the most important rules of politics is: coalitions do not fail because of the content, they fail because of the people. If the protagonists can’t smell each other or don’t trust each other, things go wrong. And above all: if the chemistry is right, substantive differences can be overcome with a little good will. Not always, but usually.
This is what happened to Jans and the farmers whom the Basel resident had turned against him during his time in the National Council. And those who initially spoke very clearly to Jans: ‘Not eligible!’ they said at first.
Jans finally wins back sympathy points during the farmers’ hearing: he showed up with a chirschrat full of Basel Läckerli. Looking back, this episode – just like Elisabeth Baume-Schneider’s (59) black-nose sheep – will also go down in the history of election anecdotes of the Federal Council.
Experienced politician
Jans has been a fixture in local and national politics for over twenty years. He received the most votes in the 2015 and 2019 National Council elections. And in 2020 – as a newcomer in the first voting round – he was part of the city council of Basel. His trademarks: enthusiasm, eloquence and connection with the people.
The son of a saleswoman and a metal construction mechanic, he grew up in an apartment building in Riehen BS. He completed an apprenticeship as a farmer and trained as an agricultural technician before studying environmental sciences at ETH Zurich.
Blick: Where is your house?
Defeat Jans: Where my wife and my family are. This is currently the Matthäuskwartier in Kleinbasel.
Where and when do your best ideas come to you?
By bike, jogging and swimming in the Rhine.
What career ambitions did you have as a child?
Farmer.
How did you earn your first money?
During the holidays I cleaned the school building.
What household chores do you do?
Cooking, cleaning the kitchen, recycling, fixing things, walking the dog. And when my wife is traveling, I do everything.
What do you often fail at?
On the mobile phone! That distracts me. That’s why I prefer not to have him near me when I’m at work. But then I always miss a lot of calls.
Do you have a secret vice?
Cherry chocolate. I hid them at home.
What’s your favorite food?
Spaetzli with lentils. My mother is Swabian and she always cooked this dish. When I prepare it, I never get it right.
Blick: Where is your house?
Defeat Jans: Where my wife and my family are. This is currently the Matthäuskwartier in Kleinbasel.
Where and when do your best ideas come to you?
By bike, jogging and swimming in the Rhine.
What career ambitions did you have as a child?
Farmer.
How did you earn your first money?
During the holidays I cleaned the school building.
What household chores do you do?
Cooking, cleaning the kitchen, recycling, fixing things, walking the dog. And when my wife is traveling, I do everything.
What do you often fail at?
On the mobile phone! That distracts me. That’s why I prefer not to have him near me when I’m at work. But then I always miss a lot of calls.
Do you have a secret vice?
Cherry chocolate. I hid them at home.
What’s your favorite food?
Spaetzli with lentils. My mother is Swabian and she always cooked this dish. When I prepare it, I never get it right.
Jans started his political career late. He only joined the Basel SP at the age of 34. Just two years later he took over the presidency of the canton party. Under his leadership, the SP won a third seat in the government. The current state councilor, Eva Herzog, who was little known in Basel at the time, was elected. Together with the Green Alliance, the Left forms the majority in the seven-member executive branch – it is the beginning of the almost sixteen-year era of red-green Basel.
Arrived at political Olympus
But the Basel resident, who is used to success, also has to accept defeats. In 2015, for example, when the SP elected Roger Nordmann as party leader in his place. But Jans finds a new task with his ‘Yes, I can’ mentality: barely a year later he becomes vice-president of the SP Switzerland.
Beat Jans has been district president of Basel-Stadt for about three years. On Wednesday, the former national councilor and vice-president of the SP Switzerland crowned his political career with a seat in the state government. He has arrived at the Swiss political Olympus.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
