- Alain Berset announced his resignation as Federal Councilor on Wednesday afternoon.
- A short time later, the Greens announced that they wanted to take over the vacant seat in the state government.
- The Greens are not well received by all parties.
After Alain Berset’s announcement of his resignation, the Greens are self-confident: In December they want to stand in the general elections of the Federal Council.
We’ve reached the top of the league.
Aline Trede, Group President of the Greens, thinks it is the right moment to better reflect the political balance of power: “We have reached the top of the league. There are four practically equal parties and we want to stay there.”
Alain Berset’s career in the Federal Council – the best pictures
The Greens receive support from the Green Liberals. Its President, Jürg Grossen, says: “We believe that the Federal Council should be composed in such a way that as many voters as possible are represented there.” The GLP President derives a justified claim from this.
For adults, it makes sense to now discuss the magic formula again. Of course, the national elections in autumn would have to be awaited. Should the FDP then lose heavily, one could also reconsider the claim of the liberals.
For the GLP itself, the right to a Federal Council seat would come too soon. Only when the voter share is ten percent does the GLP raise this. The Green Liberals are currently at eight percent.
Little enthusiasm among the bourgeois parties
In the conservative camp, the Greens’ claim to a seat in the Federal Council met with little approval. Both the FDP and the SVP want to stick to the magic formula.
FDP President Thierry Burkart reiterated this shortly after Berset’s resignation announcement: “The FDP has actually always represented the magic formula 2-2-2-1. I don’t see any reason why we should move away from that.” Central President Gerhard Pfister, who currently sees the second SP seat as undisputed, blows the same horn.