Politics National Council wants to regulate resignations from the Federal Council more strictly
According to the National Council, resignations from the Federal Council should generally only be possible at the end of the legislative period. The large chamber only wants to allow exceptions if there are extraordinary reasons.
03.12.2025, 12:17
SDA
On Wednesday, the National Council voted 98 to 90 with one abstention in favor of a parliamentary initiative by Gerhard Pfister, a centrist member of the National Council from Zug. This had already found a majority in the responsible committee.
Council of States committee against
However, the State Policy Committee of the Council of States subsequently voted against the draft by a narrow margin of 5 to 4. It must now consider the matter again.
Pfister justified his demand by arguing that the magic formula does not reflect the will of the voters as well today as it did when it was introduced in 1959. If the Federal Assembly can fill several seats in the Federal Council after the elections, it can take the will of the voters into account more effectively.
In the case of resignations during the legislative period, on the other hand, a majority of the Federal Assembly always has a power-political interest in not changing the distribution of Federal Council seats, argued the former president of the Center Party.
A majority of the State Policy Committee of the Council of States (SPK-S) argued that preventing the early resignation of members of the Federal Council did not necessarily strengthen concordance. A restrictive regulation for resignations during the legislative period was not the appropriate means of achieving better party-political representation in the national government.
Responsibility of parliament
According to the SPK-S, it is rather the responsibility of parliament to ensure a politically balanced composition of the government when electing members. Restricting the possibility of resigning during the legislative period could also mean that a member of the Federal Council who is tired of their duties would have to remain in office. Peter Schilliger (FDP/LU) expressed a similar view in the National Council on behalf of a strong minority of the National Council committee.
The outcome of the discussion on the rules for resignations from the Federal Council is also likely to have an impact on the future composition of the national government. According to its own statement, the Center Party is aiming for a second seat in the Federal Council in the medium term. In the past decade, there have also been discussions about the magic formula in view of the Greens' electoral successes and the FDP's losses.
