Daniel Jositsch is the man with the unwanted candidacy
Published: Monday, Nov 20th 2023, 09:40
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Daniel Jositsch wanted to become a member of the Federal Council last year. This drew the ire of his parliamentary group, which preferred a woman to succeed Simonetta Sommaruga. However, the Zurich native has not lost his interest in the office and was the first to announce his renewed candidacy.
The 58-year-old professor of criminal law is extremely popular with the electorate - Jositsch has been elected as a member of the Zurich Council of States three times in the first round of voting since 2015. This year, he was able to secure even more votes than in 2019. He has represented the largest canton in the small chamber for eight years.
If elected to the Federal Council by popular vote, the Zurich native would probably be elected, as polls show. Jositsch can also score points on the conservative side of parliament. He got on very well with his former Zurich Council of States colleague Ruedi Noser (FDP).
Angering your own parliamentary group
In his own party, however, his social-liberal positions are not the only reason he often causes offense. His unwelcome candidacy for the Federal Council in 2022 lost him sympathy with the SP parliamentary group. Jositsch now regrets certain statements, such as that a women-only ticket was "discriminatory".
He is also criticized for not standing at the lectern after receiving 58 votes in the Federal Council election and declaring that he would not accept the election. It is clear that he must first and foremost convince his comrades in order to have a chance.
Also committed to left-wing causes
Jositsch received a lot of attention at the beginning of his career in the House of Representatives when he presented a 12-point plan to combat youth violence together with his then party colleague Chantal Galladé in 2007. However, this brought him a lot of criticism from the left.
In recent years, however, Jositsch has also campaigned for clearly left-wing causes, such as the Responsible Business Initiative and the Frontex referendum.
Jositsch is also Colombian
Jositsch took up his first political office in 2000 as a member of the Stäfa ZH school board. He was elected to the Cantonal Council in 2007 and to the National Council in the fall of the same year.
From 1991 to 1995, Jositsch was Managing Director of the Swiss-Colombian Chamber of Commerce in Bogotá. He also has Colombian citizenship and is licensed to practice law in Colombia.
The Zurich native has been president of the Swiss Commercial Association since 2011. In the army, he holds the rank of lieutenant colonel, which is rather unusual for a social democrat.
Jositsch grew up in Zurich and the Limmat Valley. After graduating from high school, he studied law at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). He has been Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at the University of Zurich since 2004. Initially as an associate professor, he has been a full professor since 2012. He is divorced and has a son.
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