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A Green MP resigns, but no one wants to move up. A political novice gets the seat, without any choice.
In Switzerland, the Greens are currently rushing from success to success. There were a few skid marks in the last cantonal elections, but overall the party can be satisfied. So does the party in the canton of Baselland. In the elections three years ago, she was able to increase her number of seats from 8 to 14.
Among the newcomers who made it into the district administrator was Balint Csontos, a real high-flyer: at the age of 21 he became party president of the Green Baselland, three years ago he made it into the district administrator.
Young don’t want to commit
But Csontos didn’t stay in politics for too long. He recently announced his resignation from the presidency and later also from the district administrator – for professional reasons.
Legend:
Resignation after three years: the Green Balint Csontos resigns from Parliament.
key stone
Csontos is not alone in this. Since the parliaments have been filled with ever younger representatives, the number of early resignations has also increased. Apparently, when you’re young, you don’t want to commit yourself that much.
The vacuum does not surprise you very much, says the co-president of the Greens, Erika Eichenberger. It’s difficult to keep potential followers “warm” if they don’t know whether they’re actually getting a chance.
It’s difficult to keep followers warm for four years.
Actually, in the case of Balint Csontos, nothing would be a problem. It has five other candidates on its electoral list, all of whom could have moved up. The problem: Nobody wants or can.
A music teacher does it for the Greens
Nobody in the canton remembers that something like this ever happened. But the law has also made provision for this rare event: If none of those moving up want to take the seat, anyone from the canton can take a seat in parliament – regardless of whether he or she ran in the elections. All you need is ten list signatories from the last ballot, and you’re in the district administrator.
In the case of Balint Csontos, he put things right himself and asked his former music teacher Michael Bürgin if he could step in – which he was obviously happy to do.
My commitment is private accommodation.
“It was a private gesture and I jumped into the breach,” explains Michael Bürgin. Bürgin wasn’t a green party member either, but he’s made up for it in the meantime. And: He has always had sympathies for the Greens, he explains innocently. He gained political experience as a councilor in a small community.
Not just a green problem
In the media, the matter is judged rather critically. “Undemocratic,” complains one newspaper, because Michael Bürgin just slips into the district administrator without a popular election.
Of course, the other parties shouldn’t be overly gloating about the Greens’ bankruptcy either. A few years ago, the Basel bidders hardly managed to find a successor for a district administrator who was elected to the National Council in the national elections. Only at the last moment was there a replacement.