This is undoubtedly bitter for Daniel Jositsch (57): he has worked his entire career towards the office of the Federal Council. Now everything would fit. Except he’s a man. That’s why he says: “I can’t accept that” – and runs against the will of his party.
Less than two hours after the resignation of federal councilor Simonetta Sommaruga (62), the SP co-presidium Mattea Meyer (35) and Cédric Wermuth (36) announced: The SP will compete with a women’s ticket – male candidates are undesirable!
Since then, a heated debate has raged: isn’t that discriminatory, undemocratic, illegal?
A look at the statistics shows that in the history of Switzerland there have been 110 federal councilors, but only 9 women. The SP supplied 11 federal councilors and 3 federal councilors. There is no trace of discrimination against men here.
No political party has campaigned for equality and the promotion of women longer than the SP. With Simonetta Sommaruga and Alain Berset, it now has two federal councilors. It is therefore logical that she wants to replace the retiring woman with a woman.
It is quite possible that Berset will remain on the Federal Council for one more term in 2023: if one man succeeds Sommaruga, two male Social Democrats will serve in government for five years. It is clear that that is not possible for the SP – then you could rightly say: it preaches the progress of women and porters men. In addition: With Eva Herzog (60), Evi Allemann (44) and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (58), there are already three top candidates. What else do you want?
Of course Daniel Jositsch can still participate – he will not succeed: the time when parliament chose a “wild” candidate to wipe out his party is over.
The SP was repeatedly the victim of this tactic, for example when Lilian Uchtenhagen was not elected in 1983; in their place came Otto Stich. Or when Christiane Brunner was not elected ten years later; in their place Francis Matthey was chosen, but declined. Both women were too left, it was said at the time.
In 2000, it hit the SVP when their candidates Rita Führer and Roland Eberle failed to qualify. Instead, the portly Samuel Schmid took office, whose most important trait for Parliament was that he kept the utmost distance from SVP doyen Christoph Blocher.
Recently there has been a new practice: if the parties nominate suitable candidates, they are also chosen. The four major parties are therefore really involved in government. That’s how concordance works.
Daniel Jositsch remains a consolation: Most who aspire to the Bundesrat miss their mark – because at the time of the vacancy they are too old or too young, from the wrong part of the country or from the wrong party.
There are many more than seven Swiss who would be suitable for the Bundesrat. Who it ends up being is largely a matter of chance.