Berset must convince Strasbourg Parliament for Council of Europe post
Published: Tuesday, Jun 18th 2024, 10:10
Updated At: Tuesday, Jun 25th 2024, 04:40
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Former Federal Councillor Alain Berset is running for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Tuesday. What does this office involve? Who are Berset's rivals and who is the favorite? And how is the Secretary General elected? Here are the answers to these and other questions:
WHAT IS THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE?
The Council of Europe is an organization independent of the European Union. It was founded on May 5, 1949 and has 46 member states. The Council sets standards in various areas by means of conventions. One of the Council's main achievements is the drafting of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Council is based in Strasbourg, France.
WHAT DOES THE GENERAL SECRETARY DO?
The Office of the Secretary General is responsible for the management of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe and the strategic management of the organization. The Secretary General assumes a representative role vis-à-vis other institutions. The tasks of the office also include drawing up an annual report on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
WHO IS CURRENTLY IN OFFICE?
Marija Pejcinovic Buric has been Secretary General of the Council of Europe since 2019. The Croatian is the 14th incumbent. The next handover of office is scheduled for September 18, 2024.
WHO IS RUNNING?
Three men are running for the office: the Swiss Alain Berset, the Estonian Indrek Saar and the Belgian Didier Reynders. The deadline for submitting a candidacy expired in January.
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 52-year-old was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2018 and 2023. Before his time in the federal government, the Fribourg native was a member of the Council of States for eight years.
Indrek Saar was a member of the Estonian Parliament for the Social Democrats for twelve years until 2023, as can be seen from 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.
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. In 2019, he previously ran for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, but was unsuccessful at the time.
WHO ELECTS THE SECRETARY GENERAL?
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is responsible for electing the Secretary General. This is made up of 306 members of parliament from the member states. Depending on the size of the member state's population, the national delegation has between two and 18 seats. Switzerland holds six seats.
HOW DO YOU VOTE?
The Assembly must vote for one of the three candidates. Members cast their votes by secret ballot. An absolute majority is required to be elected in the first ballot. If this is not achieved, there is a second ballot. This time, only a relative majority is required. In the event of a deadlock, a third ballot is necessary, which would take place the following day.
WER IST FAVORIT?
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which evaluated the candidatures received, recommended all three politicians to the Parliamentary Assembly for election. However, the Committee indicated a preference. It put Berset in first place, followed by Saar and Reynders.
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