The Federal Council of the Confederation has seven members. When two are replaced on the same day, it is a political event of primary importance.
by Serge Enderlin (Bern, Correspondence)
Wednesday, December 7, the “federal Berne”, as we designate the center of political power in Switzerland, lived a rare moment. The Federal Council hosted two new ministers. In the country of consensus and secular stability, this slight reshuffle is an event, even if it is set as music paper and the result run in advance.
In the words of a permanent understanding between the main parties of the country, where the right has always dominated, an unwritten “magic formula” but respected presides over the composition of the executive: five right -wing members (including the ‘One rather centrist), and two socialists, systematically “minorized” but who prefer to participate rather than to oppose head -on. A minister should only be replaced when he finally decides to leave his post, generally after much more than a decade, against all odds: even scandals or unpopularity are not right. Thus wants a system that prefers long time. Since 1848, only one person has been pushed towards the exit due to a scandal (Elisabeth Kopp in 1989), and two others have not been re -elected.
Also, when two members of the executive announce their decision to leave the Federal Palace at the same time after a busy career, sometimes far beyond retirement age, it’s more than a quarter of the government that must be renewed. The election takes place in a small committee, as stipulated in the Constitution. The impetrants are elected by the two chambers of the Federal Assembly: the National Council (lower chamber, 200 members) and the Council of States (upper chamber, 46 members).
An incoming socialist, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (58, canton of the Jura) therefore replaced, Wednesday, December 7, an outgoing socialist, Simonetta Sommaruga (62, canton of Bern), after the latter served twelve years to the government. A representative of the Democratic Union of the Center (UDC, nationalist and sovereignist right), Albert Rösti (55, canton of Bern) took the place of an outgoing UDC, Ueli Maurer (72, canton of Zurich), fourteen years of presence.
administer more than govern
The dean of the “government college” is now the socialist Alain Berset (50), who began his twelfth year of mandate. He will be next year president of the Confederation in office for one year, in addition to his charge as head of the Federal Department of the Interior (DFI). In Switzerland, we are not talking about ministry, but of “department”, which gives a fairly precise idea of the function that we want to see the government play. He accompanies the march of the country, administers it more than it governs it.
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