Wermuth expects SVP to nominate a French-speaking candidate

Swiss Social Democratic Party co-president Cédric Wermuth expects the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to put forward a candidate from French-speaking Switzerland to succeed Guy Parmelin in the Federal Council, he told SRF’s Saturday Rundschau.

Wermuth said it would personally affect him if the French-speaking region, known as the Romandie, lost its representation in the seven-member government. He described two Federal Council seats for the region as a “good tradition” and said he hoped the SVP would choose a candidate who respected democratic rules and collegiality.

He said it would be difficult to deny the country’s largest party its claim to a second seat. But he criticised what he called a close bloc of two SVP and two Free Democratic Party (FDP) members who often acted together, saying it did not reflect parliamentary majorities or the public’s will.

Asked about SVP parliamentarian Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, Wermuth acknowledged her success as head of EMS-Chemie but said that alone did not qualify her for the Federal Council. If the SVP put her on its ticket, he said, the Social Democratic parliamentary group would assess her candidacy. He added that candidates should put the public interest and respect for institutions ahead of party politics.

Wermuth rejected criticism of Social Democratic Federal Councillor Beat Jans, saying he had performed well in the justice department. Jans’s possible move to the economics department, which will become vacant following Parmelin’s departure at the end of the year, would be his decision and that of the full Federal Council, Wermuth said.

He said a change in departments could create several scenarios, including a complete rotation. Wermuth also noted that the justice department oversees asylum and migration policy, and said it was important for the Federal Council, rather than Parliament, to make decisions about departmental assignments.