Daniel Jositsch, the tragic figure

Journalists covering the Swissair trial in 2007 had a friend and helper who was always available for an appropriate quote: “It is not the prosecutor’s job to process the Swissair tragedy historically,” he clarified, for example. “Now it depends on the verdict,” he warned another time, and a rival newspaper quoted him as saying, “The verdict is okay.” The name of the then 42-year-old criminal law professor: Daniel Jositsch. The series of appearances was followed by an unprecedented political career: 2007 election to the National Council of the SP for the canton of Zurich, 2015 the jump to the Council of States. Jositsch held various parliamentary positions, became a legal and political authority, a formative figure in the reform wing of the SP and the heavyweight of his party. The cunning tactician put everything on higher orders. He complained about the border security service Frontex and criticized the SP dissident Mario Fehr, who provided support in the group. He published in the “Weltwoche” and flirted with a law-and-order policy that got votes from the right. Since Simonetta Sommaruga announced her resignation early this week, he has been close to targeting Jositsch as a federal councilor, preferably as Minister of Justice – for the country, for the people, for Jositsch. At the same time, he is further from it than ever because the party leadership has issued an order that only women get on the ticket. The reality is sometimes bitter: in some situations, even the most skilled strategist can only hope for a miracle.