Eleven years in the Federal Council – Berset resigns: “The pandemic was brutal” – News


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Alain Berset will no longer stand as a candidate for the Federal Council. He was Minister of the Interior for more than eleven years – and will remain so until the end of the year. His seat will be filled at the total renewal elections in December.

Alain Berset got straight to the point. Seconds after the start of the media conference, he announced in French, the native language of the native of Freiburg, that he would no longer be a candidate for the Federal Council.

Legend:

Alain Berset announced today that he no longer intends to stand as a candidate for the Federal Council.

KEYSTONE/Peter Klaunzer

The choice of words, as became clear during the media conference, is important to Berset. It’s not about a resignation. “I’m not resigning, I’m announcing that I’m no longer running after the current legislature.”

SP Federal Council seat in danger?

In fact, Alain Berset will remain on the Federal Council and thus also the Federal President until the end of the year. He respects the institutions, says the SP magistrate, and wants to wait until the end of his third legislature. It was always clear to Berset: if possible, he wants to resign at the end of a legislature.

Alain Berset’s career in the Federal Council – the best pictures

Of course, life doesn’t always play along in this regard. Berset was addressing his long-time colleague Simonetta Sommaruga, who resigned last November because of her husband’s stroke.

SRF Federal House Editor: “A hot election year for the SP”


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«Federal Councilor Alain Berset no longer wants to. He is still finishing his presidential year and will then no longer stand in the general election of the Federal Council in December. The fact that he announced this about six months earlier brings both advantages and disadvantages to his party.

The advantage for the SP: In the middle of the election year, you can push the candidate carousel and thus present your best people to the media. This gives the SP a coveted media presence and is a player in an important topic – other topics such as immigration are less accommodating to it.

The disadvantage, however, is that if you want to take a seat in the Federal Council away from a party, it is best to do so when there is a vacancy. Because members of the Federal Council who want to continue refuse an election; Parliament rarely does that. More recently, this was the case with Ruth Metzler because the CVP was so overrepresented. And in the case of Christoph Blocher (SVP), the parliament expressed its political displeasure by voting it out. Otherwise, however, members of the Federal Council are re-elected – more or less glamorously.

December would be a favorable moment for those parties who want to take a seat in the Federal Council away from the SP. Depending on who wins or loses in the federal elections in October, it could become an issue to give the Greens a seat in the Federal Council at the expense of the SP. The Greens seem less averse to this idea than they already are. And the conservatives could satisfy the demands of the Greens without strengthening the left camp. The voters decide how realistic this scenario is. But one thing is already certain: 2023 will be a particularly hot election year for the SP.”

Nevertheless, there was also critical demand at the time the resignation was announced. The SP has gradually lost ground in parliament in the past elections, and the Green parties are on the rise. With Berset’s decision to resign at the end of the legislature, the vacant seat will be filled together with the general election after the parliamentary elections in autumn. The pressure on the SP thus increases.

Is the Federal Council seat of the SP now in danger? Berset was covered, he repeatedly emphasized that it was important to him to “respect the institutions”. After all, there were no party-political considerations.

“Brutal Pandemic”

During the media conference, Berset also looked back on his time as interior minister. First of all, he never regretted staying in the same department. “I think a certain stability is good for institutions,” said the Federal President.

But one period of time during his tenure was particularly formative: the Corona period. Before his time as Federal Councilor, he could not have imagined that he would have to lead Switzerland through such a “brutal pandemic”. In this regard, Berset also said that the third vote on the Covid law had come full circle.

Tip against Ueli Maurer

But it is also clear: recently, Alain Berset has come under more and more pressure. A GPK investigation into a possible breach of official secrecy is underway – the Federal President is suspected of having delivered internals to Ringier boss Marc Walder during the pandemic. Berset did not want to comment on this. He said: “I’m looking forward to the results of the investigation.”

I’m curious about the results.

He later elaborated on his thoughts on the media. Of course, journalists have the right to criticize. The media are important for democracy.

And the media always likes to look ahead. When asked who he could imagine as a successor to his office, Berset said: “The main thing is a person”, probably alluding to the former SVP Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer. In his farewell media conference, he said that “no It” should simply inherit him. Maurer should have alienated many people with this.

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