But Eva Herzog wins the show.
Can also laugh heartily: Eva Herzog.
On Tuesday evening, Bernese government councilor Evi Allemann announced her interest in running for the Federal Council; in an interview that was exclusively published in the Tamedia newspapers. In it she chatted about her children and that she can drive a tractor. Why did you choose this date? they ask the three interviewers. Answer Allemann: «Today 33 years ago the Berlin Wall fell. That had an extreme impact on my generation, this event politicized me.” Evi Allemann was 12 years old at the time.
The day after, Eva Herzog presented her candidacy. As part of a press conference in the hall of a hotel in Bern. When she was born in December 1961, train driver Harry Deterling, accompanied by his wife Ingrid and their four children, was taking a steam train from Albrechtshof to West Berlin. The Wall was almost complete, Deterlings didn’t want to be locked up and took “the last train to freedom”.
tax reformer
However, Eva Herzog does not talk about that. It doesn’t need to be related to world history. She has accomplished enough in her life as a politician. She has represented the canton of Basel-Stadt in the Council of States for three years. Before that, she was a member of the government for 15 years, or more precisely: finance director. When Herzog took office, Basel’s finances were in a desperate state. When she left office in 2020 to become a member of the government, Basel-Stadt had developed into a proud donor canton.
Because of her financial skills and her commitment to corporate tax reform (USR) III, the 60-year-old historian is often assigned to the right wing of the SP. Her commitment to corporate tax reform and an instrument called the patent box brought her into disrepute with the SP leadership at the time. Herzog stoically endured the accusations and finally successfully implemented the reform at cantonal level. The successor to USR III, Steuerreform 17, which was developed in record time, also bears her signature.
comrade
Despite their services to public finances, the tips on Herzog’s smart spider are clearly pointing to the left. With her core issues of equality, social justice and environmental policy, she is not dissimilar to the resigning Simonetta Sommaruga: Herzog represents a clearly social-democratic policy, but knows that in a system like Switzerland you can only get ahead if you master the art of balance and compromise.
According to the “Tages-Anzeiger”, Evi Allemann was popular across parties during her 15 years in the National Council. Eva Herzog, on the other hand, is considered a bulky character. It is quite possible that the colleagues meant Herzog’s quick-wittedness, which was also evident at the media conference on Wednesday:
Journalist 1. “You’re turning 60, aren’t you already too old for the Federal Council?”
Herzog: “That’s a question you don’t ask a man. Women are often too young, too old, or they have children – all of these questions never arise with men.”
Journalist 2: “Wouldn’t it be time for a young mother in the Federal Council?”
Herzog: «When I ran for the Federal Council for the first time in 2010, my two sons were seen more as an obstacle. I welcome the fact that we have made progress on the mother issue today. Of course, children and an executive office can be combined. I did that as a government councilor too.”
Journalist 3: “You are considered too close to the pharmaceutical industry. There are critical voices who fear that they will assert the interests of the pharmaceutical industry in the Federal Council.”
Herzog: “If that were the case, I would assert myself in completely different areas. But the danger is small, there are six others on the board.”
favourite
After three social-democratic candidate shows for the vacant Bundesrat seat, the following conclusion can be drawn. Evi Allemann presents himself as a candidate of hearts, Eva Herzog convinces as a candidate of brains and Daniel Jositsch, who as a man wants a woman’s ticket, as a candidate of heterogeneity.
And something else can be said: The SP has the women’s double ticket ordered by the party leadership together – and there is still space for Daniel Jositsch. The rhetorical rookie mistake of the SP bosses is forgotten. The SP parliamentary group in the Bundestag can, if they want, nominate two male and one male candidate – and that’s what counts.