Federal President Cassis recharges his batteries in Ticino. People stick by him, even if criticism is voiced even in his home canton.
Ignazio Cassis at the celebrations in honor of the President of the Swiss Confederation on September 14, 2022 in Airolo.
He leads the Ukraine conference in Lugano or unveils the UN building in Geneva at Swissminiatur on Lake Lugano. He receives Baltic magistrates in Bellinzona or Lugano. Or he spends a fun afternoon with the people of his home town of Sessa near the Italian border. And finally, he is being celebrated as Federal President in Ticino, as happened this Wednesday.
Federal President Ignazio Cassis has strong feelings of home. Namely for his home canton of Ticino. As soon as his appointments as Foreign Minister allow him, he travels south – not only at the weekend, but also on Thursday evenings. After all, many an official task can also be carried out from Ticino.
The rougher the wind in Bern, the more power it gathers in Ticino
Where does Cassis’ striking affinity with his home canton come from? It is a phase that is difficult to manage, characterized by great nervousness among the population, in Parliament and in the Federal Council – which is why a president is needed who sends out signals of national cohesion. This is how Cassis spoke on Wednesday to radio and television in Italian-speaking Switzerland about his work as Federal President.
So in Berne, a rough wind regularly blows against him. And according to nationwide surveys, he is the least popular member of the Federal Council. So Cassis wants to recharge her batteries in Ticino all the more. Because there the reception by the population is always warm. No wonder, since people in the southern canton are rightly proud to finally have their own Federal Council again after almost twenty years.
The former Ticino canton doctor Cassis is trying to get Italianità to flourish in federal Berne. Be it in personal statements, be it by trying to increase the number of Italian-speaking executives in the federal government. Or by holding international meetings and conferences in his home canton. All of this promotes the image of Ticino and the four Italian-speaking Graubünden valleys.
A silent approach takes place. The long-standing loud complaint that the federal government of Bern is generally neglecting Ticino seems to have died down. And maybe Cassis can actually mitigate the “Ticinocentrismo” a lot. Because Ticino’s self-referentiality increased sharply after Ticino Federal Councilor Flavio Cotti resigned in 1999.
At neutrality, the tame treatment stops
Of course, the Ticino FDP is united behind its Federal Councilor Cassis. The center and the now and then more critical Social Democrats are rather tame. Even the right-wing populist Lega and the SVP are not exaggerating in their allegations. However, many politicians, journalists and private individuals in Ticino react sensitively to the issue of neutrality: Cassis’ paper on “cooperative neutrality” – recently rejected by the entire Federal Council – is described by many as clumsy and brought up at the wrong time.
Others accuse Cassis of pandering to the EU and Ukraine. Added to this is the accusation that, as foreign minister, he is not acting in the interests of the majority of Swiss opinions. When it came to the EU, Cassis didn’t press the reset button, but the off button, said the Ticino SP government councilor Manuele Bertoli recently in a Teleticino broadcast.
From neutrality, the people of Ticino quickly build a bridge to the tiresome issue of free movement of people. More Italian cross-border commuters are working in the southern canton than ever before, and the fear of job loss and wage dumping is still rife. The cantonal SVP accuses Cassis that he did not sensitize the entire Federal Council to this problem in Ticino.
Despite everything, the homeland will stand behind Cassis
Even the frequent presence of the Federal President in the home canton does not please everyone there. A journalist from the “Corriere del Ticino” put it in a nutshell: Cassis can bring national issues closer to the people of Ticino during his visits, but for a federal councilor he is too often on the periphery and loses too much time attending small regional events. This also isolated Cassis within the Federal Council.
Are Cassis’ feelings of home diminishing in the face of this criticism? Hardly likely. It is clear to all that running the State Department has long been a thankless job. Ticino isn’t less critical of the rest of the Federal Council either, and the general public remains cordial.
And when Cassis runs for state government again in 2023, the Ticino parties will be behind him. After him, Ticino will not have its own Federal Council anytime soon.