SVP Zurich criticizes composition

Mr. Ledergerber, the Canton of Zurich is losing “its” Federal Council seat; Hans-Ueli Vogt failed in the first ballot. Have you weibeled too little for your candidate?

Domenik Ledergerber: We gave it our all until the end. Through personal talks with parliamentarians or other contacts. Zurich party colleagues and I followed the election in the Federal Palace. We are satisfied with the result – even if it wasn’t enough for Hans-Ueli Vogt in the end. His 98 votes are more than a respectable success. The fact that the decision was made in the first ballot was due to the fact that the SVP ticket was strong and there were hardly any isolated votes for those who were not officially nominated.

The Bernese Rösti beats the Zurich Vogt – why?

An important reason was that Albert Rösti has an excellent network in the Federal Palace. Better than Hans-Ueli Vogt, who hasn’t been involved in politics in Bern for a few months.

Played in the election of the anti-Zurich reflex?

I didn’t have that impression. But who knows what made the difference in the end? In general, it was noticeable how little cantonal affiliation was used as an argument. Personally, I find it a pity that the urban regions are now practically no longer represented in the Bundesrat. With Karin Keller-Sutter, Zurich and Eastern Switzerland only have one member. Too little I think. If it had been clear earlier that SP Elisabeth Baume-Schneider would win the race, this would probably have increased Vogt’s chances.

In fact, Hans-Ueli Vogt was an atypical SVP candidate: urban, intellectual, gay. Was it the wrong profile in the end?

May be. Large parts of the Federal Parliament are still very conservative. Features like this play a role. For us as SVP Zurich, however, it was important to show that our party is more than a peasant party. I’m a farmer myself and I can say that (laughs). I think that was important with regard to the coming elections in the canton of Zurich. We were able to show a different picture of ourselves than what people are used to.

And you think that will help you for the February cantonal elections?

The SVP base is diverse, we are the only people’s party in the country. Hans-Ueli Vogt embodied that perfectly – without spoiling the SVP program.

The SVP is looking for a candidate for the Council of States. With Vogt, you actually have the perfect politician in your quiver, who has gained a lot of profile and notoriety thanks to his Federal Council campaign. Now all you have to do is persuade him.

Hans-Ueli Vogt has put together a great campaign. We have to see what role he can play for the party in the future. I cannot yet comment on a possible candidacy for the Council of States.

The Federal Council is now missing not only the urban regions, but also representatives of the donor cantons of financial equalization, namely the financially strong Greater Zurich area. What does that mean?

That makes me think. I very much hope that our new Federal Councilor Albert Rösti, like his predecessor Ueli Maurer, will always have an open ear for the concerns of the business canton of Zurich. Because what our government councilors Ernst Stocker and Natalie Rickli say is true: if Zurich coughs, the whole of Switzerland will have a fever afterwards. The newly composed Federal Council should not only make policy for the peripheral regions, but essentially for the centers – for the regions where the economy is booming, where jobs are created and money is earned. We have to keep that in mind. If necessary, more control and commitment from our Zurich parliamentary representatives is needed.

Is Vogt’s defeat also a sign of the dwindling influence of the once all-determining SVP Zurich under Christoph Blocher?

Before Christoph Blocher and Ueli Maurer, the SVP Zurich had never had a Federal Councillor. The fact that it was not enough this time is not a catastrophe. With Albert Rösti there was a very capable opponent who I congratulate from the bottom of my heart. I am sure that he will do the job perfectly.

That doesn’t answer the question. The impression remains: the snappy people of Zurich were relegated to their places by the easy-going people of Bern.

The Bern Cantonal Party has undoubtedly done a very good job. She made her claim known early on, went into the race offensively and carried out her campaign with military precision. That deserves respect. But we caught up. With the presentation by Hans-Ueli Vogt we managed a surprise coup. Maybe he came a little late, but the Bernese got nervous and had to fight. That was important. Nonetheless, the discussion was always fair and factual.

Now a person from Zurich is missing from the Bundesrat. The choice of Baume-Schneider from the Jura opens a door for Daniel Jositsch if Alain Berset resigns from the SP. The Zurich Council of States got a surprising number of votes in the first ballot.

I don’t think Daniel Jositsch will ever be on a Federal Council ticket again after the last few weeks with the SP. But in principle I would of course like it if Zurich were represented in the state government again. In my opinion, however, it would be better for a Zurich bourgeois than for a leftist.

A word about Ueli Maurer, who, as a native of Zurich, worked in the Federal Council for over 13 years. Will you miss him?

And how! It was absolutely impressive how Ueli Maurer saw his office: as a service to the country. Many thanks to him. He was always close to the people, always close to the people – and also close to us as a cantonal section. That was gold.

In his farewell speech, Maurer described himself as an insignificant footnote 111 in the history books. Would you agree with that?

Ueli Maurer doesn’t like it when people cheer him when he’s celebrated. That’s not his style. In his office as Federal Councilor, he always put the matter in the foreground and not his person. That’s why he’s fighting tooth and nail against the fact that we, the cantonal party, are throwing a farewell party for him. But maybe we can find a way. (Laughs.)