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Hans-Ueli Vogt is stirring up the race to succeed Federal Councilor Maurer. The Zurich political returnee could become a danger for the crown favorite – for the Bern National Councilor Albert Rösti. The delegates’ meeting of the SVP in Lucerne was also a show of the candidates.
The coffee in the paper cup is getting cold, Hans-Ueli Vogt doesn’t get to drink it. Party friends and journalists besiege him when he returns to the party world. “I admit, I haven’t been to a delegates’ meeting for a long time,” says Vogt. “But I was happy to come here to see the people with whom I have a shared political past.”
Past, because Vogt actually turned his back on politics last year – he did not like the office of National Councilor. Now he wants to become Federal Councilor. The law professor is exceptionally polite, almost shy: And that connects him to his toughest competitor, Albert Rösti – indicative of how “nicely” the two favorites greet each other.
Albert Rösti is also confronted with criticism from the right wing of the party. He is a “post hunter” because of his many mandates. “I have some experience from my time as party president when you are attacked. If you don’t have the arguments, you have to get angry, »emphasizes the Bernese National Council. And mostly he has arguments for his conviction – for a free and safe Switzerland.
Another candidate for the Federal Council from Bern appeared in Lucerne: Werner Salzmann. The Council of States resists the accusation that, as a security politician, he is too one-sided when it comes to issues. Salzmann replies with a long list of all his other activities – and concludes: “I am amazed at the analysis that is being made. It’s actually less noticed when you’re so firmly anchored in security policy.”
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Keystone/URS FLUEELER
The main absentees today are the two central Swiss government councilors and federal council candidates Heinz Tännler and Michèle Blöchliger. But she also gives a lot to talk about: The only candidate for the Federal Council has made headlines with “clumsy” communication about her British nationality.
“It wasn’t clever – she knows that too,” says party president Marco Chiesa. And National Councilor Barbara Steinemann – a women’s promoter in the SVP – says: “She will probably not make it onto the ticket and I regret that as an SVPlerin.” But with Guy Parmelin, there will be another seat up for grabs in three, four, five years.
So wait until the next Federal Council resignation.
But who will now make it to the election proposal of the SVP parliamentary group? Party President Chiesa is surprisingly bringing a three-way ticket into play today. “It’s an option. I’m not ruling that out.” It is not so easy to put only two on one ticket with four competent candidates and one candidate.
Whether a two- or three-way ticket: Bern or Zurich should be the really big question in the end. Hans-Ueli Vogt says in his typical way that he himself is only from Zurich by chance: Zurich should be represented in the Federal Council – and not just because of its economic power. “Crime and migration – the canton of Zurich is a pioneer canton on all these issues.” And he thinks it’s right that someone who sees this every day is also one of the seven who knows these living conditions.
“That’s all well and good,” replies Albert Rösti. But it is also justified that the large cantonal party in Bern has a right to an SVP Federal Council. Even if Bern already has a federal councilor in the form of the social democrat Simonetta Sommaruga.
The final word remains. It comes from the resigning Federal Council from Zurich: “The quality of the candidate plays a role. After all, it is not a representative of a canton, but a representative of the state. As far as I’m concerned, it can also be seven people from Ticino – that doesn’t matter at all. » Ueli Maurer – many will miss him in the SVP.