Will the SP give women priority?

The SP members in the National Council and the Council of States closed the ticket on Friday for the successor to their departing Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga (62).

The SP faction is not yet deciding which names should be on the card, but only whether only women will actually be on the card, since the SP leadership around the co-presidium Mattea Meyer (45) and Cédric Wermuth (36) and the parliamentary faction suggested leader Roger Nordmann (49). Or that a man can be on the card.

Buebetrickli against women’s ticket

The comrades also decide whether to come with a return ticket – also a suggestion from the party and group leadership – or, as Secretary of State Roberto Zanetti (67) proposes to his people, with a three-ticket on which at least two women must be mentioned.

With this Buebetrickli “two women plus X” Zanetti wants to clear the way for his council member Daniel Jositsch (57) to get a ticket. The Zurich Council of States was the only man to announce his candidacy, contrary to the party leadership’s recommendation for a women-only ticket.

The chance that lawyer Jositsch finds a place on the card is negligibly small. If the parliamentary faction responds to Zanetti’s friendship service for Jositsch and then fails to nominate the Zurich resident for the ticket, Jositsch would let the matter rest – at least he announced it to the media.

But if the SP faction denies all men the opportunity to read their name on the card in advance, Jositsch does not rule out a wild candidacy.

Zurich no chance

With this announcement, the law professor put the knife to the chest of his people. Even party friends who would have liked to see Jositsch in the Bundesrat may have upset the Züricher with this attempt at blackmail.

However, the attempt does not seem very effective, as the other factions have made it clear that they will not vote for wild candidates in the Federal Assembly, but will only consider candidacies from the official SP ticket. Jositsch should therefore get a few votes in the elections for the Bundesrat on Wednesday morning 7 December. However, he is deemed to have absolutely no chance of actually entering government.

successor trio

It is already clear today that Sommaruga will have a successor – and that the new SP Bundesrat will be either Eva Herzog (60), State Councilor of Bern, Evi Allemann (44) or State Councilor of Jura Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (58). The parliamentary faction will not determine until November 26 which of these women will get the SP ticket.

Around 4.30 pm the comrades want to announce how big their card will be and whether it actually only contains the names of women.

The SVP is already further

The SVP is now further along. She will announce on Friday which people have a spot on her ticket to succeed Ueli Maurer (71). Maurer had announced his resignation from Sommaruga. Four SVP politicians and one politician are in the running.

In the case of the People’s Party, however, the signs are quite the opposite. Here it is considered unlikely that government councilor Michèle Blöchliger (55) of Nidwaldner will put a woman on the official SVP ticket. Blöchliger had harmed herself by providing incorrect information about her dual nationality.

The Bernese State Councilor Albert Rösti (55) is the favorite for the SVP. But Council of State Werner Salzmann (60), from the same canton, also has a chance. Former Zurich councilor Hans-Ueli Vogt (52) may also have legitimate hopes for the ticket. The candidacy of Zugse government councilor Heinz Tännler (62) is regarded as less promising.

Blick reports live.