contents
The Social Democratic Councilor of States Elisabeth Baume-Schneider is little known – but she brings a lot of experience with her.
There has been much discussion in recent days as to whether or not a fourth member of Latin Switzerland is needed in the Federal Council. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider comes from the Jura and thus clearly from French-speaking Switzerland.
As a child, however, she spoke dialect, she said when announcing her candidacy. “It is important that you understand each other.” Your candidacy goes beyond the definition of Romandy or German-speaking Switzerland.
Very successful in law
One thing is certain: Baume-Schneider was previously an election campaign locomotive for the SP in the Jura. She made it into the Council of States in 2019 with the best result. And that after a four-year break from politics.
The graduate economist and social scientist left the canton government in 2015 to head the Vaud University of Applied Sciences for Health and Social Affairs.
It is important that less wealthy regions are also represented in the Bundesrat.
She finds it important that a canton like Jura is also represented in the Federal Council. “It is very important that less wealthy regions are also represented in the Federal Council,” she emphasized.
13 years government experience
Equal rights, the compatibility of work and private life: These topics have shaped the career of the 58-year-old from the Jura right from the start. Their second child was born in 2000.
That was in the middle of the year that Baume-Schneider was president of the cantonal parliament. Three years later she made the leap into government. For 13 years she served as Jurassic Director of Education.
In her long political career, she often gave interviews in dialect. Bilingualism was something she was born with: her parents were German-Swiss, but went to French-speaking schools.
And her grandparents were German-speaking Swiss from the Bernese Jura. Baume-Schneider, on the other hand, grew up in the Franches-Montagnes, the Freiberge. She experienced the independence of the canton of Jura in 1979 as a school child.
Left politician without fear of contact
She is bilingual, experienced in government, familiar with the national political scene. And she’s on the left of the party spectrum, even being in the Marxist league when she was young. She makes no secret of that.
Baume-Schneider’s candidacy would be an important sign for the Jura.
In her political career, on the other hand, she has always been in the minority and has always worked with people who were less left-leaning than she was. “Nevertheless, I’ve always shown that I can make a difference.”
Charles Juillard also confirms that you can work with Baume-Schneider. The middle politician is Baume-Schneider’s Jurassic colleague in the Council of States. He has already assured her of his full support. She is quite capable. And: “Your candidacy would be an important sign for the Jura,” emphasizes Juillard.
In western Switzerland, Baume-Schneider is already known as an “animal politique”. Now her name will also be increasingly known in the other parts of the country.