Political scientist explains Why almost no one wants to become a Federal Councillor

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1.2.2025 - 12:29

Why does almost nobody want Viola Amherd's seat? Political scientist Adrian Vatter has some explanations for the thin field of candidates.
Why does almost nobody want Viola Amherd's seat? Political scientist Adrian Vatter has some explanations for the thin field of candidates.
KEYSTONE

The focus is not on the Federal Council candidates, but on all those who do not want to join the national government. Political scientist Adrian Vatter explains why family is more important to many and why the women's issue is of little concern.

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  • Almost without exception, the best-known centrist politicians have decided not to run for the vacant seat in the Federal Council.
  • Political scientist Adrian Vatter blames this on a change in values, among other things. Family plays a greater role for politicians today.
  • On the other hand, it is striking that the issue of gender balance in the Federal Council plays a subordinate role - even though the proportion of women is in danger of falling by two seats.

Imagine there is space on the Federal Council and no one wants it. This is how the search for candidates for the vacant seat in the national government can be described. Politicians from the center are turning down in droves - with reasons that would have been very unusual 20 or 30 years ago, explains political scientist Adrian Vatter in an interview with SRF.

Family and personal well-being are becoming more important, while the pursuit of a career is losing significance, analyzes Vatter. This is an expression of a change in social values.

Male candidates in particular are now more likely to emphasize the importance of family and children. Vatter describes these new priorities as "luxury arguments" that previous generations of candidates would have used less.

"Federal Council mandate is overloaded"

Since 1848, the Federal Council has consisted of seven members. This line-up dates back to Napoleon and the Helvetic era. Compared to most other countries, even those with a similar population to Switzerland, the national executive power rests on just a few shoulders.

Adrian Vatter considers the structure of the Swiss national government to be outdated; it leads to an enormous workload and the agenda is full from morning to night. In addition, there is great pressure from the media.

In Vatter's opinion, more Federal Council seats or a longer presidency could provide a remedy. However, such a reform would fail not least because of the members of the Federal Council. This is because more government colleagues or a slower rotation of federal presidents would mean a loss of power for the individual member of government. The political scientist is convinced that everyone is striving to increase their power, not give up any of it.

A point that Vatter does not cite as a cause: The new member of government will probably have to take over the DDPS. This department has been making negative headlines for years, especially in recent weeks. Projects are not progressing, cost much more than planned or even have to be stopped completely after millions have been spent on them.

Few people seem to be interested in having to lead the DDPS out of this crisis.

The women's issue plays a subordinate role

Whether a woman or a man replaces Viola Amherd in the Federal Council plays a subordinate role in this candidate search. This surprises Adrian Vatter. There is a risk that women will be significantly underrepresented.

If a man were to be elected as the newest member of the national government, the gender ratio would be two to five. Vatter points out that in the history of the federal state, only 10 women and 110 men have been part of its executive.

However, the zeitgeist argues against rectifying this inequality by having a woman succeed Viola Amherd in any case. In 2019, the Swiss elected a large number of women to the federal parliaments. In 2023, the proportion of elected women had fallen.

The focus today is on economic and security policy and not on fair gender representation in the Federal Council.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.