The Basel SP councilor Eva Herzog (60), who was narrowly defeated in the elections for the Bundesrat, replaces the newly elected SP councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (58) as the new first vice president of the Council of States. The small chamber chose the defeated candidate of the Bundesrat on Wednesday at the request of the SP party.
Herzog was elected with 39 of the 39 valid votes. This means that she will probably become president of the Council of States in 2024 – and that the people of Basel, disappointed by the elections to the Federal Council, will soon have something to celebrate. The central councilor of Thurgau, Brigitte Häberli (64), currently sits in the chairman’s seat in the Stöckli.
Actually, Baume-Schneider would have become vice president
Baume-Schneider was elected first vice president on Nov. 28 with 45 of the 45 valid votes, but was elected to the state government last Wednesday. Since then Lisa Mazzone (34), a member of the Geneva Greens, has been the second vice president. Up to and including 2025, the presidency of the Council of States must therefore be firmly in the hands of women.
Herzog will become the ninth representative of the canton of Basel-Stadt since 1848, to preside over the small chamber in 2024. The last chairman of the Council of States of the city canton was Gian-Reto Plattner in 2003. (SDA)