Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter (58) marches through the lobby – she is beside herself: the day before, the Federal Assembly elected the SP councilor and almost namesake Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (58) to the Federal Council. The inhabitant of the Jura comes from Les Breuleux, inhabitants: 1500. Councilor Eva Herzog (60) from Basel, inhabitants: 170,000 remained behind.
Even as Central National Councilor Schneider-Schneiter talks about the election results, her anger still hasn’t subsided. It is “worrying” that with the election of Baume-Schneider and Albert Rösti (55), the cities are no longer represented in the Federal Council. Because the SVP Bundesrat also lives in the country: in Uetendorf, inhabitants: 6000. Yes, the Basel bidder Schneider-Schneiter sees the exclusion of the big cities as a danger to the country’s cohesion.
Keller-Sutter comes from the largest community
In fact, all seven federal councilors now come from towns or small towns. The largest city, which is represented by a resident in the Bundesrat, is called Wil SG, is the home of Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP, 58) and has 24,000 inhabitants. Politicians from Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern or Lucerne in the state government? no.
Partly because of this, people in the cities have the impression that federal politicians are not listening enough to the economic engines. District chairman Beat Jans (58) of Basel-Stadt complains that there is simply a lack of awareness of the central role of cities in the state of Bern. He cites European policy as an example: “The cantons are sitting at the table there. The cities, on the other hand, are missing – despite their international network. Cities have to fight again and again for their place.”
No wonder they hardly have any representatives in federal Bern. “As a city resident, I belong to a rare species in parliament,” says National Councilor Jacqueline Badran (61) of the Zurich SP. Cities are disadvantaged by a system. “This is most noticeable when it comes to taxes. The regular corporate tax cuts leave big holes, especially in the city coffers.”
economic engine
The urban centers should be more present in parliament, says GLP chairman Jürg Grossen (53), who comes from rural Frutigen BE. “They have to show how important they are as an economic engine for Switzerland’s prosperity.” Only: didn’t the canton of Basel-Stadt just do that when it advertised extensively for Eva Herzog (60) before the elections to the Federal Council? “A constant presence is probably more promising than short-term power lobbying, as the canton of Basel-Stadt has raised for Eva Herzog in recent weeks,” said Grossen.
More lobbying alone, however, is probably not enough. At its core, it is an institutional problem, says Jacqueline Badran: “The cities are not only in a weak position vis-à-vis the federal government, but also vis-à-vis the strong cantons.” As a member of the city council of Zurich, she had to experience this time and time again. This unfortunate circumstance is reinforced by the structural over-representation of the rural cantons in the Council of States.
So what to do? “Appenzell Innerrhoden has a population of 16,000,” says Badran. “That is as much as the smallest district of Zurich. Cities must be given a voice – or large cities can form their own cantons. That would soften the dominance of the countryside in the Council of States.” In addition, it is time to finally systematically enforce the constitutional requirement to take into account the special situation of cities: “It won’t be until today.”
Anders Stokholm (56), mayor of Frauenfeld TG, is chairman of the association of cities. His approach: “When compiling the election lists, the parties must ensure that representatives of cities are also at the front.” Because: “More city dwellers are needed in parliament.” Stokholm comes up with another idea: “If there were a chamber of cities in addition to the National Council and the Council of States, that would also help to give the cities sufficient attention.” But that’s more food for thought, Stokholm emphasises, and not a requirement.
If he had one wish, it would be this: “That the next federal councilor come from a big city.”