Eighty years ago, the SP entered the Federal Council for the first time
Published: Wednesday, Dec 13th 2023, 04:50
Updated At: Wednesday, Dec 13th 2023, 04:50
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This Wednesday, Beat Jans from the city of Basel and Jon Pult from Graubünden will battle it out for the SP's second seat in the Federal Council. Almost exactly eighty years ago to the day, on December 15, 1943, the Social Democrats entered the national government for the first time following the election of Ernst Nobs from Zurich.
Since the founding of the Swiss Social Democratic Party (SP) in Bern in 1888, there have been discussions about social democratic participation in the Federal Council. Finally, in 1929, the SP officially demanded a seat in the Federal Council for the first time.
However, participation in government was not seriously considered until the mid-1930s. With the introduction of the proportional representation system in 1919, the SP was able to gradually increase its presence in the parliamentary chambers. In 1935, the Social Democrats won fifty seats in the National Council, making them the strongest parliamentary group in the People's Chamber.
However, this success was not enough to stand up to a united bourgeois bloc. The left wing of the SP was also convinced that participation in a national government dominated by the bourgeois parties would force the SP to make unacceptable compromises that would undermine its credibility.
In the second half of the 1930s, the situation changed rapidly due to the threat of German National Socialism and Italian Fascism. The blocs in the Swiss government moved closer together, but the bourgeois majority did not accept Social Democratic participation in the government.
Turning point 1943
The turning point in the Second World War in 1942/1943 and the foreseeable defeat of Nazi Germany revived discussions in Switzerland about social reforms and the political balance of power. The SP campaigned for old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV), which paid off in the National Council elections in October 1943. With 56 seats in the National Council and six seats in the Council of States, the SP's representation in the councils reached an all-time high.
The bourgeois parties then agreed to the inclusion of a Social Democrat in the national government. There were discussions within the SP between supporters, mainly trade unionists, and opponents, particularly within the party leadership. The parliamentary group finally decided in favor of the candidacy of Zurich mayor Ernst Nobs.
Man of social balance
Nobs had already become famous in 1918 for his call for a general strike, which landed him in prison. In the 1920s, he relaxed his positions until he became a man of social balance. Due to the rise of fascism, he sought cooperation with some of the elected bourgeois politicians.
On December 15, 1943, Nobs was elected to the Federal Council with 122 out of 181 valid votes, succeeding the Zurich Free Democrat Ernst Wetter from Winterthur. The social democratic Zurich daily newspaper "Volksrecht" commented that a social democrat with fundamentally different views was now sitting on the Federal Council, which now had an opponent in its ranks.
Nobs was a member of the Federal Council for two legislative periods. His term of office was marked by the introduction of the AHV in 1947. His SP successor Max Weber, also from Zurich, resigned in 1953 after losing a referendum on the new federal financial regulations.
Two seats thanks to the "magic formula"
The vacant seat was taken by the Catholic Conservatives. The SP had to wait until December 1959 to regain a seat in the Federal Council. At that time, it won two seats. It was the beginning of the "magic formula".
Despite crises - such as the one in 1993 when parliament chose Francis Matthey from Neuchâtel over the official party candidate Christiane Brunner from Geneva - and regular calls to go into opposition, the SP has always remained in government with two seats. To date, a total of 15 Social Democrats have been represented in the Federal Council.
©Keystone/SDA
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