Berset leads the race for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Published: Monday, Mar 25th 2024, 18:20
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Former Federal Councillor Alain Berset has been recommended for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe and is leading the race. The delegates of the Council of Europe ministers have placed the Swiss candidate at the top of their three-man ticket.
This can be seen from the committee's resolution, which the Council of Europe published on its website on Monday afternoon. Behind the Social Democrat Berset, Indrek Saar, proposed by Estonia, is in second place and Didier Reynders from Belgium is in third place on the ticket.
Before Saar and Reynders
This means that all three men proposed by the governments of their countries as the future Secretary General of the Council of Europe have cleared a further hurdle. The ticket was drawn up "in order of preference", as stated in the resolution.
Interviews were conducted with all three candidates last week. The election will take place on June 25, as the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) wrote on Twitter. It assured the former Swiss interior minister of its continued support for his candidacy.
In order for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to decide, at least two nominations must be submitted to it, which has now been fulfilled. The Assembly is not permitted to elect a person outside the ticket.
Berset's competitors
Alain Berset was Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs from 2012 to 2023 and, among other things, was largely responsible for Switzerland's course in the Covid-19 pandemic. The 51-year-old was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2018 and 2023. Before his time in the federal government, the man from Fribourg was a member of the Council of States for eight years.
Estonian candidate Indrek Saar was a member of the national parliament for the Social Democrats for twelve years until 2023, according to his CV submitted to the Council of Europe. His term as a parliamentarian was interrupted for four years when he held the post of Minister of Culture. The 51-year-old was also part of the Estonian delegation to the Council of Europe.
The Belgian Didier Reynders has been EU Commissioner for Justice since 2019. According to the documents submitted, the 65-year-old previously held various ministerial positions in the Belgian government for 20 years: Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister. He already ran for Secretary General of the Council of Europe in 2019, but was defeated by the current incumbent Marija Pejcinovic Buric.
Guardian of human rights
The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organization, as the Council describes itself. It has 46 member states that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights, including Switzerland. The Secretary General heads the Council's organization and has overall responsibility for strategic management.
The new Secretary General will take office on September 18, 2024, when the current Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric from Croatia, completes her five-year term.
©Keystone/SDA
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