Reactions to the Federal Council election "There are various issues that Pfister must now resolve"

Martin Pfister was elected Federal Councillor in the second round of voting with 134 votes. Reactions to the Federal Council election.

"We are the largest parliamentary group in parliament. We are expected to take a clear position," says SVP National Councillor Mike Egger to blue News. "But in the end, it's Parliament that decides. It was a very fair election campaign".

Egger believes Pfister is capable of taking over the DDPS: "There are various issues that Pfister must now tackle and resolve. We will now see how he manages them," Egger continues.

Regarding Pfister, he says: "I always expected it to be a close race. That was also evident today. The main thing is that it was a fair race."

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"We are satisfied that we managed to elect a Federal Councillor today. Martin Pfister was closer to us. I assume that the majority of our parliamentary group voted for him," said Jürg Grossen, GLP National Councillor, to blue News. "We are looking forward to working together," he continues.

But does he trust Pfister with the DDPS? "He was in the army for a long time, so it helps that you know the place. I trust him to manage it," says Grossen. He wishes Pfister every success in this task.

"I congratulate him. I thought it would be close. But I also thought he would be elected," said Green National Councillor Balthasar Glättli to blue News.

And what do the Greens expect from Pfister now? "He has told us that he will make sure that we have access to him and that we can put forward our concerns, but he is not a centre-left candidate, let alone one from the Greens," says Glättli.

He hopes that the new Federal Councillor will be a little calmer on the road.

A portrait of Martin PfisterFrom Health Director to Federal Councillor

It was a difficult choice for the SP parliamentary group, said SP Co-President Mattea Meyer after the election of the new Federal Councillor. The Federal Council had not moved to the left, which worried her.

"This hurts at a time when male dominance is beginning to assert itself again," Meyer told SRF. So far, there have only been ten women in the Federal Council, four of whom are from the SP, she added. Equality must be taken seriously.

Pfister expects a difficult task in the Defense Department. The SP wants Pfister to stand up for human rights, the rule of law and democracy, said the Zurich native. Pfister must be an opponent to Trump and Putin and take a close look at how the chaos in the army came about.

SVP President Marcel Dettling will judge the new Federal Councillor on his work. For Pfister, as an outsider, it will not be so easy to make the transition from the Zug cantonal government to the national government, says the man from Schwyz.

Should Pfister take over the Department of Defense as expected, he would have many construction sites to tackle. "I trust him to do it," Dettling told SRF television on Wednesday. "I can of course live with the choice," he continued. He was a little pleased that Pfister from Zug, a native of Central Switzerland, had been elected to the Federal Council.

He advised the new Federal Councillor to stay below the radar in his work in the potential new department with regard to international conflicts and not to bring foreign conflicts into Switzerland. "Neutrality is important" and Pfister should "restore security", said Dettling.

"I am not surprised by Pfister's election. He is a good Federal Councillor. I believe he could become a real Federal Councillor of the heart because of his personality. And I trust him to tackle and master the challenges in the DDPS," says Bischof to blue News.

Martin Pfister is like "a pike in the water", said Zug cantonal councillor Jean Luc Mösch about his friend and party colleague Pfister after his election to the Federal Council. The two have known each other since their scouting days.

There, the new Federal Councillor went by the name "Hecht" (pike). The characteristics of the fish would also characterize Pfister in politics. "He rests in the water like a pike, analyzes and then strikes," said the cantonal councillor in an interview with Schweizer Fernsehen SRF. He would tackle dossiers directly once he had analyzed them.

According to Mösch himself, after the election there was great optimism but also great relief. According to the cantonal councillor, Pfister's appearance and his efforts in the last few days were decisive.

The municipal council of Martin Pfister's home municipality of Baar ZG is proud of his election to the Federal Council. He is experienced in government and resistant to crises. Pfister learned and proved this in particular as cantonal health director during the coronavirus pandemic.

Vital Hotzer, a member of the Baar Mitte municipal council, explained this to SRF television. In the run-up to the Federal Council election, Pfister was sometimes referred to as an alibi candidate. "But we in Baar knew his qualities, and now they are also known in Bern." Pfister is a "shirt-sleeved man" who is always available when he is needed, Hotzer continued.

The FDP has called on the elected centrist Federal Councillor Martin Pfister to act quickly if he is likely to take over the Defense Department. "Our defense industry is on the brink. There is no overall strategy for Switzerland's security," the party announced on Platform X.

The FDP wrote that armed neutrality is being threatened by those who want to abolish the army and those who understand Putin. The party had recently made demands in this regard, such as focusing on the army and civil defense instead of civilian service. The latter should be abolished.

Following the election of Martin Pfister to the Federal Council, his centrist party referred to its ticket. The party announced on Wednesday that it had "presented two excellent candidates who have the necessary skills, experience and qualities".

It congratulated Zug cantonal councillor Pfister. Each of the two candidates would have been able to ensure the functioning of the Federal Council and master the current challenges, said Philipp Matthias Bregy (VS), President of the Center Party and National Councillor.

The Center Party is committed to political balance and viable solutions. The war in Europe shows that national security policy must be strengthened. Switzerland must adapt its stance to the new international challenges.

To this end, the Federal Council must act as a collective body and make security and defense policy a top priority. Pfister's election reaffirms the commitment of the center for a pragmatic policy that strengthens the cohesion of the country.

The Greens consider environmental protection and social justice to be under threat due to the election of Martin Pfister to the Federal Council. With the election, the Federal Council is moving "even further to the right", which means a consolidation of the right-wing bourgeois bloc, the party announced after the election.

With its homogeneity, the Federal Council does not reflect the population in terms of age, gender and political orientation. The party also announced that it would do everything in its power to ensure a more balanced balance of power when the next vacancy arises. The newly elected Federal Council is expected to do more for social and global justice at national level than it has done in its home canton of Zug.

The new constellation of the Federal Council must now urgently bring order to the Department of Defense (DDPS). The increase in the army budget must be halted until the situation in the DDPS has normalized. The Greens also called on the SVP to take over the DDPS - due to the party's recent "fierce criticism" of the department.

In terms of foreign policy, the Greens are calling for the Federal Council to "assume its responsibility to protect the rule of law and democracy" in view of Switzerland's impending isolation on the international stage.

The Alternatives - Greens of the Canton of Zug (ALG) were delighted with the election of Martin Pfister to the Federal Council, according to a press release. After more than 20 years, Central Switzerland is once again represented. "The Alternatives-the Greens are convinced that he will bring important concerns of the region to the table," it said. Particularly in the area of infrastructure, important fundamental decisions are pending with the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel 2 and the Lucerne deep rail station.