Swiss Federal Council election, 2007
On 12 December 2007, the general elections of the Federal Council were held in Switzerland. The United Federal Assembly (both chambers of the newly elected Parliament ) chose the Swiss government, the Federal Council for the office of between 2008 and 2011. Seats were ordered individually in the order of the District ages the seat holder. All previous federal councilors stood as a candidate for a new term of office. Normally, current Federal Councillors be re-elected. To date, three members of the government were only deselected, after over a hundred years for the last time in 2003, when the CVP lost one seat to the SVP with their explosive candidates Christoph Blocher.
It all federal councils except Christoph Blocher were confirmed in their office. This lost the election in favor of Eveline Widmer -Schlumpf (SVP ) as a disintegrating candidate of the center-left parties. This has taken the election on 13 December 2007.
Strategies of the fractions
- SVP Group: The SVP is known in advance of the elections to the concordance. She understands to mean that the three strongest parties 2 and the fourth strongest party may provide a seat (what the other parties also recognize ) and these representatives may determine ( but this is neither the practice nor is accepted by the other parties). In the case of the deselection of one of their cabinet ministers threatened to withdraw from the Federal Council and to go into opposition. After the SVP had first announced to choose the candidates of the other parties, they announced not to support those parties that Christoph Blocher did not want to choose, including the SP and the CVP.
- SP Group: The SP supports the concordance principle. However, the SVP - FDP block does not correspond to (4 seats) the share of the vote. That's why she made in advance of the CVP an offer to return to her at the expense of the FDP a second seat. They also announced not to choose the former SVP Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher. Whether they would choose another SVP candidate or a candidate of another party instead of him, was initially unclear. On the eve of the election was clear that the SP Group all federal councils except Christoph Blocher is re-elected. On the morning of the election, the SP ported the Grisons SVP Councillor Eveline Widmer -Schlumpf.
- CVP / EPP / glp Group: Ahead of the elections came forward from the ranks of the CVP different voices. Party president Christophe Darbellay turned out as the need arises as a candidate available. At the group meeting on 11 December but was decided to set up any official candidate against a recent Federal Council. A majority but not intended to support Christoph Blocher. Darbellay helped in the sequence to coordinate the election of Widmer.
- FDP: The FDP wanted to select all previous federal councils. After the parliamentary elections President Fulvio Pelli FDP suggested that SP, FDP and SVP should ever their most senior Federal retire to allow a renewal of the State Government on the basis of concordance. However, the idea does not prevailed.
- Green Group: The Greens laid claim to a seat in the Federal Council and ported officially Luc Recordon as candidates for the office of Christoph Blocher. This was mainly angsesehen as a tactical maneuver to build up pressure against Blocher. But since there was an agreement for the election of Eveline Widmer -Schlumpf, they supported the candidature and subjected Luc Recordon back.
1st choice ( seat of Moritz Leuenberger )
The first to put the longest-serving Federal, Moritz Leuenberger, a member of the SP and Head of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications ( UVEK), for election.
His re-election was uncontested in advance. He went to unopposed and was re-elected with 64 abstentions and 4 empty ballot papers, ballot papers received at 246 and an absolute majority of 90, with 157 votes.
As the SVP had previously told not to vote for him, he could not reach his high result in 2003.
2nd choice ( seat of Couchepin )
As it turned Second Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin (FDP), Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (DHA), for re-election.
Although the second seat of the FDP was not undisputed and Couchepin received poor results in surveys among the population, his re-election seemed certain. It has been suggested that Couchepin would resign after his year as president.
With the second-best result of the election since 1991 in Federal elections Couchepin was re-elected in the first ballot.
3rd choice ( seat of Samuel Schmid)
Federal Councillor Samuel Schmid ( SVP), Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) stood for re-election.
Also this was undisputed.
4th choice ( seats by Micheline Calmy -Rey )
The next was the President of the Confederation in 2007, Micheline Calmy -Rey ( SP), Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA ) on the series.
Micheline Calmy -Rey was re-elected in the first ballot.
As before, the choice of Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger most members of the SVP abstained.
5th ( seat of Christoph Blocher )
It read, Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher (SVP ), head of the Federal Justice and Police Department for Migration (FOM ), for re-election. In the first round he missed the majority with 111 votes and was thus not confirmed by Parliament. Eveline Widmer -Schlumpf reached 116 votes. Since the absolute majority was 120 votes, a second ballot was applied. In this reached Widmer -Schlumpf by 125 votes to gain an absolute majority (122 votes), which Christoph Blocher was not re-elected. The SVP applied after the announcement of this result, an interruption of the elections, but this was not granted.
In the event of a non- re-election of Christoph Blocher, the SVP had announced the withdrawal of the state government. However, the already elected Federal Councillor Samuel Schmid let himself - as already announced previously by his side - still under oath for a second term. Widmer -Schlumpf called for a day to think about and declared on 13 December 2007, the acceptance of the election.
6th ( seat of Hans -Rudolf Merz )
As it turned Sixth Federal Councillor Hans -Rudolf Merz (FDP), Head of the Federal Department of Finance ( FDF), for re-election.
Even with him deselected in favor of a seat of the CVP or the Greens could not be ruled, because the right of the FDP was controversial on a second seat. It was also conceivable that the SVP would now compete with Christoph Blocher (after being voted in the previous election ) against Hans -Rudolf Merz.
However, none of these scenarios has arrived.
7th choice ( home of Doris Leuthard )
Most recently, Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard (CVP ), head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (DEA ), to the election.
It was supported by all groups except the SVP and was elected.
Election of the Federal Chancellor
Federal Chancellor Annemarie Huber- Hotz (FDP) resigned. Therefore, a replacement was needed. The following candidates were proposed:
- Corina Casanova, candidate CVP
- Nathalie Falcone, SVP candidate
- Markus Seiler, candidate FDP
Corina Casanova was elected with 124 votes in the first ballot. Nathalie Falcone and Markus Seiler scored 64 or 52 votes. It received 246 ballots, two of which was empty and no invalid. The absolute majority was 123
Election of the President and Vice - President
After the election of the Federal Council, the Federal Assembly elected the President for the year 2008. According Cycle was the then Vice - President Pascal Couchepin 's turn, his deputy would Christoph Blocher to be if elected. Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin was elected with 197 votes for President. The election of Vice President was postponed to the following day, there was not even sure if Christoph Blocher is definitely canceled. After Widmer -Schlumpf had accepted their election on December 13, Hans -Rudolf Merz was elected with 193 votes as the new Vice President.
Consequences in the SVP
The election results meant that the SVP Group their federal councils Eveline Widmer- Schlumpf and Samuel Schmid from the SVP Group excluded, ie, they did not let participate in the group meetings. She announced that she would not represent them in the government to feel and embark on an unconditional opposition course. But since not all exponents wanted to support this policy, was the SVP before a crucial test. Legally, the Group of exclusion, however, had no meaning, as Article 61 of the Parliament Act in any case only stands and national councils may be members of a political group and Federal Councils therefore anyway not belong to groups.
Consequences for the system of government
For the first time in the history of the Swiss Confederation was the largest faction of the government does not. Due to the well-trained people's rights ( popular initiatives, referenda ) the strong opposition means available that might block the policy would have. However, the SVP was not very successful, which is why they tried Samuel Schmid to move to resign to end their opposition prematurely. (see Federal Election 2008 )