SP puts Jans and Pult on the ticket after long election procedure
Published: Saturday, Nov 25th 2023, 16:40
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The SP is sending Beat Jans, President of the Basel cantonal government, and Jon Pult, National Councillor from Graubünden, to the Federal Council elections on December 13. The SP parliamentary group took its time with the decision and appeared before the media over 2.5 hours late and after 18 ballots.
Both candidates were able to convincingly demonstrate to the parliamentary group how they wanted to make Switzerland more socially responsible and bring the country into the future, SP parliamentary group president Samira Marti told the media in Bern on Saturday. The party is pleased to be able to go into the Federal Council elections with such competent personalities.
When asked why the announcement of the nominations took around two and a half hours longer than planned, Marti said that it had been clear from the outset that a decision would not be made after the first or second ballot. Having six candidates had prolonged the process. Marti also cited new internal election regulations as another reason for the delay.
Building bridges and compromises
Jans said it was a mixture of disbelief and great respect and a huge honor to have been selected by the parliamentary group. He was looking forward to the time before the Federal Council election. He comes from a humble background and never thought he would become a candidate for the Federal Council.
He wants to act as a bridge builder, because if the city and the country are drifting apart, he wants to help bring them together. And he wants to show that the Federal Council can create solutions that are acceptable to both sides, continued Jans.
Pult was also honored by the trust of the parliamentary group. His main motivation was to strengthen Switzerland's diversity and thus create cohesion. Pult believes that the election of the Federal Council is a personality election. This ultimately decides who becomes Federal Councillor. He and his rival are very similar in their positions.
Asked about his young age, Pult said that the question about his experience was legitimate. He had asked himself whether he was ready and had come to the conclusion that he was.
Both candidates are eloquent
The 59-year-old Jans has been a fixture in local and national politics for over two decades. He received the most votes in the canton in both the 2015 and 2019 National Council elections. And in 2020, the trained farmer, who later studied environmental sciences at ETH, made it into the Basel-Stadt government as a newcomer in the first round of voting. Jans' trademarks are his enthusiasm, eloquence and closeness to the people.
With the nomination of 39-year-old Pult, the SP opted for by far the youngest male party candidate to succeed Federal Councillor Berset. The political early starter is regarded as a gifted rhetorician and one of the Social Democrats' greatest political talents - attributes that have accompanied him throughout his 20-year political career.
The trained historian achieved national prominence as President of the Alpine Initiative, which campaigns for the transportation of goods through the Alps by rail. However, Pult only made the leap into the National Council at his third attempt in 2019.
Fair election campaign
It was a fair and interesting election campaign, said SP Co-President Mattea Meyer. The next few years would be challenging in view of an FDP and SVP majority in the Federal Council, which was also willing to use its power. This is why a strong voice is needed in the Federal Council alongside SP Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider in order to advance social Switzerland. Both Pult and Jans could be this voice, said Meyer.
The representatives of the SP in the National Council and Council of States had already decided on Friday to run on a two-person ticket in the election to replace Berset.
Six candidates had applied to succeed Berset. In addition to Pult and Jans, these were Bernese National Councillor Matthias Aebischer, Zurich Councillor of States Daniel Jositsch, Bernese Government Councillor and former National Councillor Evi Allemann and Vaud National Councillor Roger Nordmann.
©Keystone/SDA
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