Political Switzerland has had only one subject for two months: the successor to Ueli Maurer (72) and Simonetta Sommaruga (62) in the state government. After expressions of interest, cancellations by candidates – and those who were never traded as candidates – after the actual candidacies, the selection committee meetings, the nominations, roadshows and the hearings, the time has finally come on Wednesday.
The 246 National Councilors decide whether the new SVP Federal Councilor will be Albert Rösti (55) or Hans-Ueli Vogt (52). And they decide whether Eva Herzog (60) or Élisabeth Baume-Schneider (58) follows SP federal councilor Sommaruga.
Crucial choice for the coming years
The two by-elections will decide who will run the country in the coming years – because with the exception of SP Bundesraadmember Alain Berset (50), who has been under his wing for eleven years, the others are relatively new in office. Even Guy Parmelin (63) was only elected in 2015.
The election of the two new government members will show whether the Bundesrat functions better than in previous years. Will the big chunks of climate change, Europe and social security finally be properly addressed? Nothing less will be decided on Wednesday.
Swipes are not excluded
Even though there are hardly any big tactical games or surprises like the ones Switzerland has experienced in recent years, there are likely to be some minor swipes at the election. The number of votes that SP councilor Daniël Jositsch (57) receives will give a definite answer about how the SP’s strict promotion of women has been received by the other political groups.
Albert Rösti’s election results, on the other hand, show how much ecological headwind the Federal Council can expect from the (still) green parliament. And the number of votes Baume-Schneider gets will answer the question of the fair representation of the parts of the country: if their performance is worse than expected, the Romands will probably complain again about the dominance of German-speaking Switzerland.
Blick reports live
These and other questions will occupy Bundesbern for the next 12 hours – during the election itself, but also on the “Night of the Long Knives”, when party strategists and backbenchers meet at the Hotel Bellevue on the eve of the election to make final arrangements and the to sound out other parties.
Blick reports live on the Bundesrat elections – both on Tuesday night from the Hotel Bellevue and on Wednesday, when it says: “The election is made…”. Bundeshaus expert Claude Longchamp, who analyzes the elections live in the studio, is also present.
The live broadcast of Blick TV about the elections for the Bundesrat starts on Wednesday at 7:00 am.