At the end of the year we say goodbye twice! SP Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga (62) and SVP Finance Minister Ueli Maurer (71) hand over their office keys to their successors. You leave a body that has left a shattered impression in recent years. Indiscretions here, violations of collegiality there, rivalries between friends of the Liberal party or even private escapades. In short: things have improved in the Bundesrat.
Maurer, who is stepping down as a senior official, played an ambiguous role. Of course, he often had a hard time as SVP representative in the Federal Council, especially in those years when Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (66) was expelled from the party, he was the only SVP magistrate in the House of Representatives. Federal Council. Bricklayer alone against a brick wall.
No wonder he liked the role of the troublemaker, who didn’t just doze off in his colleagues’ deals. He still carried a lot with him to the outside world. And most importantly, he found it futile to push for a hard SVP stance when reality caught up with him – such as with the OECD minimum tax. He showed himself to be a doer with the Corona emergency loans.
In fact, the longer Maurer searched, the more provocative he chose. He openly campaigned for the SVP’s restriction initiative and, in a Trychler shirt, equally effectively questioned the Bundesrat’s corona policy.
Conversations about beer
On a personal level, however, he got on well with his colleagues. He had a particularly close relationship with SVP nemesis Sommaruga of all people. We even had a beer together at the office.
A specialty of the Bernese magistrate, SP co-boss Céedric Wermuth (36) announced on Wednesday. When Sommaruga, who is considered a Realo politician, was just elected to the Federal Council, the then Juso president soon found herself in her office for a beer of reconciliation.
This also characterizes her role in the board. Although she campaigned fiercely for her concerns, she also sought direct dialogue early on. She was reliable and, as a typical consensus politician, often took on the role of mediator.
fresh wind
The fact that the double dismissal is a relief in the Federal Council is certainly welcomed in Bern. If you ask around, you want people who are constructive and collegial, who work for the common good of the country rather than for their own interests. And especially people who deal openly and honestly with each other.
“More mutual trust is needed,” says one longtime observer. The restart offers an opportunity to bring the members of the Federal Council closer together again, says another.
Where: Compared to the time when Micheline Calmy-Rey (77, SP), Pascal Couchepin (80, FDP) and Christoph Blocher (82, SVP) were three strong alpha animals arguing over the political course of the Confederacy and angering each other did, the current Federal Council is still a harmonious feel-good body.