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Beat Jans (59) still has to be patient. Although the newly elected person will be a member of the Federal Council from day one, he will not take over his department until January. The outgoing Alain Berset (51) will remain in office until the end of the year. But what does the newcomer do until then?
“In principle, the newly elected magistrates do not yet have any powers,” said Vice Chancellor and spokesperson for the Federal Council André Simonazzi (55) after the election of Albert Rösti (56) and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (59) a year ago. They are not allowed to make political decisions before officially taking office. They must also stay outside during Federal Council meetings.
Temporary office
The key to the department will be handed over in December. Jans will receive him “around Christmas”. However, the transfer is a purely symbolic act: the predecessor will remain in the future office until the end of the month.
That is why Jans will have an office in the Federal Chancellery from election day. Because: when the Basel social democrat takes office in January, he must be educated, know the most important files and be familiar with his government.
Meet employees
A federal councilor is not only a politician, he is also the head of his department, as federal councilor Pascal Couchepin (81, FDP) explained to Blick. He is supervisor of several thousand employees. To make collaboration work, you have to learn how the department works.
To do this, you not only have to get to know the files and processes, but also the people. Because as Couchepin also emphasizes: you have to learn who you can trust, as a person and as a professional.
Gather your entourage
From day one, new federal council members are persons of national security importance. Immediately after the elections they receive personal protection. Their apartments are monitored by the security service – with adjustments up to the bedroom, as Federal Councilor Hans-Rudolf Merz (80) once revealed in the SRF program “Club”. A peephole was built into his bedroom door.
The new ones do not yet have their own staff. They have to recruit them now. Experienced federal parliamentary journalists who know the operation well and know it from the past are often called in for this purpose.
Find leadership principles
Moreover: before you take office, the last moment to decide what kind of boss you want to be. During this time, former Federal Councilor Adolf Ogi (80) reflected on his leadership principles in cross-country skiing, as he told the “Republic”.
His goal: “My employees and office directors must know what Ogi wants from the first minute. They needed to know my goals and priorities. “That is absolutely crucial, otherwise you will be listed as a federal councilor and the government will tell you where to go,” Ogi says.
No exact timetable
There are no precise rules about who the federal councilors meet during the preparation period and what they read. They can’t just assign office directors to a meeting. From a purely legal perspective, this would not fall within their jurisdiction. The incumbent pastor is responsible for their introduction.
But that doesn’t play a major role. “The process is very collegial and straightforward,” says Simonazzi. The introduction takes place in consultation with the previous federal council members and the federal chancellery. And somehow: “As long as they are not yet in office, newly elected federal councilors generally exercise restraint.”
For the time being, Jans is still enjoying a few days of holiday with his family. But even then he doesn’t have to be bored. He will have to delve deeper into files. “I know what I’m doing during the Christmas holidays.”
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.
