Switzerland has two new Federal Council members. Albert Rösti (55) and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (58) will replace Ueli Maurer (72) and Simonetta Sommaruga (62) on the seven-member board from the new year. However, they do not inherit their departments at the same time as their headquarters.
The candidates do not know exactly what position they will get if they are elected. The divisions are only redistributed during a meeting after the elections. Not just the departments that become available, but all of them. The corresponding meeting will take place on Thursday.
seniority and voting
At the meeting, the preferred department is not chosen based on seniority. The so-called seniority does play a role. But it only determines the order in which wishes may be made.
The Federal President – currently Ignazio Cassis (61) – is ultimately responsible for the actual distribution. He has to find a compromise that everyone is happy with. This is not always an easy task.
If no agreement can be reached, a decision must be implemented by vote. Sometimes there is fighting with hard bandages.
Different office, different habits
The whole takes place in an extraordinary setting. Unlike the normal meetings of the Bundesrat, this does not take place in the hall of the Bundesrat. Instead, members of the government meet two rooms away in the Bureau de la Présidence.
Since the newcomers will not officially take up their posts until January, the Bundesrat also has no quorum. The departmental decision must therefore be made official at the first meeting in the new year.
Behind closed doors
This special session is also exceptional in other respects. Not only does it take place at a different location, two people who are otherwise present at all meetings are also missing: Chancellor Walter Thurnherr (59) and Vice Chancellor André Simonazzi (54).
This is probably one of the reasons why these sessions are considered so mysterious. For those who keep the minutes are absent from them. This means that only those present know forever what exactly is being discussed in the session.
Emotional decision
A protocol would be very exciting, because emotions sometimes run high when the departments are divided. After all, it is about the pinnacle of your own career and the job that you will probably hold in the coming years. Once the Federal Council as a whole has made its decision, the assigned department should be taken over, for better or for worse.
Not all departments are considered equal. The finance department is considered a key department, as all decisions ultimately have a financial component. Likewise, the Ministry of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication is considered very important, especially in an energy crisis.
Agreement is not easy
So the decision is not easy. When the division was discussed around 2018, no agreement was reached in the first meeting. Viola Amherd (60) is said to have aimed at the Ministry of Justice and Karin Keller-Sutter (58) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. But there were other contenders.
The session had to continue beyond the weekend and both eventually had to settle for a different department than their preference.
Now the new SVP federal councilor Rösti wants to take over the environment and energy department. SP judge Baume-Schneider, on the other hand, has kept a low profile until now. Where they may (or must) start their career in the Bundesrat may be revealed on Thursday. (Tom)