Berset successor: two SP men and one Green in the running
Published: Saturday, Nov 25th 2023, 17:01
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The SP is sending Beat Jans, President of the Basel cantonal government, and Jon Pult, National Councillor from Graubünden, into the Federal Council elections on December 13. One of them is to succeed their departing party colleague Alain Berset. Green National Councillor Gerhard Andrey from Fribourg is also standing. However, he has his sights set on an FDP seat. The overview:
WHAT IS THE INITIAL SITUATION?
Berset's successor will be chosen in the general elections to the seven-member federal government on December 13, during the winter session. In general, it is clear that Swiss-German SP politicians are in pole position because of the SP Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider from French-speaking Switzerland. The Greens have decided in advance not to contest one of the SP seats but an FDP seat.
The centrist party wants to take on more government responsibility in the medium term. However, it is not yet seeking a second seat in the upcoming general elections, according to a decision by the parliamentary group on Friday.
THE NOMINEES OF THE SP:
JON PULT: Graubünden National Councillor Jon Pult (born 1984) declared his interest in Berset's seat at the beginning of October. He, who describes himself as a trilingual Grisons native, has been a member of the National Council for four years and is regarded as one of the SP's greatest talents and a good rhetorician. Just one year after entering parliament, the SP made him one of its vice presidents. As a member of the government, the youngest of the candidates wants to strengthen cohesion in Switzerland. When announcing his candidacy, Pult named the reform of the healthcare system, climate and European policy as the greatest challenges. Pult has not yet held an executive office.
BEAT JANS: Jans (born 1964) announced at a media conference on September 22 that he wants to become a member of the Federal Council. He is highly motivated and does not take it for granted that he will be able to run. It would be an "incredible honor" for him to be able to continue writing Switzerland's history, said Jans. Political observers see Jans as one of the favorites for the government post. He has been President of the Government and Head of the Presidential Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt since 2021. He was a member of the National Council from 2010 to 2020. During his time as a federal parliamentarian, he was Vice President of the SP Switzerland for five years.
THE NOMINEE OF THE GREEN PARTY
GERHARD ANDREY: Andrey (born in 1976) is a man of many talents. He is an IT entrepreneur, politician, cultural promoter - and originally a carpenter and woodworking engineer. He grew up in rural Heitenried in the German-speaking Sense district of Fribourg and now lives in Granges-Paccot, a suburb of the city of Fribourg. In 2019, he was the first Green from the canton of Fribourg to be elected to the National Council, where he quickly made a name for himself. In the elections on October 22, Andrey managed to defend the National Council seat he won from the SVP in 2019. In the Council of States elections, he finished just behind Alizée Rey (SP) in fifth place. Gerhard Andrey is married and has two children. In addition to German, he also speaks French and English "business fluently", as he says himself, as well as fluent Spanish.
WHO ELSE WAS RUNNING:
EVI ALLEMANN: The Bernese SP government councillor and former National Councillor (born 1978) made her second attempt to enter the national government. The Bernese Director of Home Affairs and Justice already applied to succeed Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga in 2022, but did not make it onto the ticket of the SP parliamentary group. Allemann was the only woman to enter the race as a possible successor to Federal Councillor Alain Berset. Observers gave her little chance. Albert Rösti is already a Bernese member of the Federal Council. In addition, sitting members of parliament are better networked in the Federal Parliament. Despite her relatively young age, Allemann has a long political career. At the age of 19, she was elected as the youngest member of the cantonal parliament in Bern. She was a member of the National Council for 15 years - also the youngest councillor at the beginning - and moved to the Bernese cantonal government in 2018. In the meantime, she chaired the Swiss Transport Club (VCS).
ROGER NORDMANN: The Vaud SP National Councillor Roger Nordmann (born 1973) is considered a political heavyweight. It was only in June that he surprisingly relinquished the chairmanship of the SP parliamentary group after eight years in office. At the beginning of October, he announced his intention to run to succeed Alain Berset. Nordmann was the only French-speaking Swiss in the race. The Lausanne native has been a member of the National Council since 2004. His work focuses on energy policy. Nordmann sees himself as a bridge builder. His candidacy is not that of a Romand, but a cross-linguistic one and that of a Swiss, he said. In view of the dramatic turnaround, there is no need for a Federal Councillor with regional interests. A third French-speaking Swiss in the national government is therefore entirely possible.
MATTHIAS AEBISCHER: Bernese SP National Councillor Matthias Aebischer (born 1967) told the media in mid-September that after a period of reflection in the summer, he had come to the conclusion that he had all the prerequisites for the office of Federal Councillor. He has a clear will to shape things, is a team player, has a winning manner and wants to find viable solutions to important issues, such as energy policy. Aebischer has been a politician in the National Council for almost twelve years. Before his time in the Federal Parliament, Aebischer was a presenter of various programs on Swiss Radio and Television (SRF), among other things, which made him well known in German-speaking Switzerland.
DANIEL JOSITSCH: Daniel Jositsch (born 1965), member of the SP Council of States in Zurich, announced his candidacy at the beginning of September. At the time, he told the media that he had given his candidacy a lot of thought. He had a "hell of a lot of respect" for the office of Federal Councillor. But he had entered politics with the will and desire to tackle the problems and help shape them. Jositsch did not make it onto the official ticket of his parliamentary group last year, because at the time women were in the running to succeed Simonetta Sommaruga. Nevertheless, Jositsch received several dozen votes on election day. In the end, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, a member of the Jura Council of States, won the race. Jositsch's experience in the federal parliament and his urban background would have been among the arguments in his favor. Jositsch is considered a representative of the right wing of the SP.
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