FDP wants to make the legs of the Federal Council

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin (70) creates new geopolitical realities. But Switzerland doesn’t handle it well. This has mainly to do with the Federal Council: it prefers to leave everything as it is.

After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the state government imposed sanctions against Putin’s regime only after massive external pressure. For Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (61) it rained criticism. He went on the offensive and presented the idea of ​​”cooperative” neutrality: Switzerland wanted to work more closely with NATO; reliable partner countries should be able to pass on weapons purchased in this country in the future. His department has prepared a corresponding report.

That furious SVP-doyen Christoph Blocher (82): Switzerland turned itself into a war party. Now neutrality must be enshrined in the constitution. He announced an initiative.

It was an uneven race: The Federal Council left Cassis out in the rain and rejected its report in early November. The collection of signatures for the SVP’s neutrality initiative has been ongoing since Tuesday. She wants to enshrine “perpetual armed neutrality” in the constitution. This excludes the possibility of joining an alliance. In the future, Switzerland should no longer be involved in EU sanctions such as those against Russia.

Chairman of the initiative committee is SVP Land Councilor Walter Wobmann (64). He knows how to win referendum battles: Wobmann has already successfully pushed through the minaret initiative and the burqa initiative. “The Federal Council has trampled on neutrality,” says the National Council. “Now people have to decide whether they want a watered-down or an integral neutrality.” Whether or not, Wobmann says, “A woman can’t be half pregnant.”

Little love from the other parties

The Left and Greens reject the initiative. Center group leader Philipp Matthias Bregy (44) also thinks they are wrong. But he also says: “The Federal Council is closing its eyes to the neutrality debate. The SVP plays into that. » The initiative is simple and clear, he says. ‘She’s not well. We must not hide behind neutrality in every crisis. Then it becomes indecent.”

FDP National Councilor Hans-Peter Portmann (59) is also dissatisfied with the Federal Council. Portmann says it was a mistake to ignore Cassis’ report. Now he wants to make up for what his party colleague has not done: the Federal Council should be obliged to lay down principles and guidelines for the implementation of the neutrality law. Portmann has submitted an application to the Foreign Affairs Committee. The goal is a federal decision that could reach the people.

“The Federal Council must ensure clarity,” he says. “This is especially true for goods deliveries in war zones and sanctions against warring parties.” This approach allows for a contemporary approach to neutrality. Portmann: “The initiative of the SVP is going in the wrong direction.”