Parmelin steps down after nearly 11 years as a steady federal councillor

Guy Parmelin is stepping down after almost 11 years on Switzerland’s Federal Council. Political scientist Georg Lutz told SRF that Parmelin had been a solid consensus politician and team player, though he had not significantly shaped the country’s politics over the past decade.

Lutz, a professor at the University of Lausanne, said Parmelin’s election was something of a surprise. The Swiss People’s Party had hoped to elect Thomas Aeschi, he said, and some may have wondered whether the role would be too demanding for Parmelin. He had to prove himself over time.

Parmelin faced a difficult start in charge of the defence department, Lutz said. The fighter jet referendum had failed before Parmelin took office, leaving him to restart the procurement process amid heavy spending cuts. Lutz said the challenges could not be blamed on Parmelin alone.

He was more successful as head of the economics department, Lutz said, citing his persistence in bringing trade negotiations forward. Parmelin helped conclude free trade agreements with China and India and advanced negotiations on an agreement with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc.

During the Covid pandemic, particularly in his year as president, Parmelin showed himself to be a team player and effective communicator, Lutz said. He supported the Federal Council’s positions, even when they differed from those of his party.

On relations with the European Union, Parmelin was not in the lead but played his part when needed, Lutz said. He helped resolve a dispute between employers and trade unions, which Lutz described as an important pillar of the agreement, and signed it without particular enthusiasm but in a proper manner.

Overall, Lutz said, Parmelin managed the balance between his party’s combative style and the restraint expected of a federal councillor. The interview was conducted by Karoline Arn for SRF’s Tagesgespräch programme.