Federal Council election: SP decides – and is more open than expected for Markus Ritter
The SP decides the Federal Council election – and it is more open to Markus Ritter than expected
Farmers President Markus Ritter and government councilor Martin Pfister have a head-to-head race. Ritter scores especially with the SVP, Pfister at the Greens and GLP. But who gets the 50 votes of the SP?
The Federal Council race between Markus Ritter (left) and Martin Pfister is tight. It does not allow games in the first ballot. That became clear to the political groups.
Martin Pfister and Markus Ritter are very present in the change hall of the Bundeshaus that Thursday of the first week of session. The Zug government councilor Pfister can be accompanied by an SRF team, he speaks extensively to Mitte-Nationalrat Philipp Kutter, center-national councilor Priska Wismer-Felder and SP national councilor Andrea Zryd. Pfister has to become known.
National Councilor Ritter, on the other hand, does not have to imagine anyone – he has been in the National Council since 2011. And yet as a lobbyist, he tours the convertible hall almost without an interruption.
The campaign heads to its climax, the election day next Wednesday March 12th. « This has been the most exciting Federal Council election for ten years, » says Mitte-Nationalrat Reto Nause. « I wouldn't want to decide who will take the race. » And FDP National Councilor Laurent Wehrli says: « It will be very tight for the first time in a replacement election. » Wehrli, the forecast specialist in parliament, who has precisely predicted Baume Schneider's choice, fits this time. A forecast is simply impossible.
Show research: The election will be decided on Tuesday afternoon at the Social Democrats. They carry out the hearing with Pfister from 3 to 3:50 p.m. in room 286. And from 3:50 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. that with a knight.
In total, the SP has to award 50 votes. But whoever receives this is surprisingly open. So far, most observers assumed that the SP votes in their large majority hike to the Zug government councilor Pfister.
But that is not the case today. The resentment in the SP parliamentary group is large over the center ticket, which means that a good half of the 50 SP parliament members have not yet decided which name she writes on the ballot. According to information from insiders, the votes of the remaining 50 percent are likely to go to Pfister and Ritter.
This makes it clear that the appearance of the two candidates at the SP is decisive because they deliver a head-to-head race. « If I were Markus Ritter or Martin Pfister, » says an influential member of the SP parliamentary group, « I would prepare for the Hearing at the SP very well ».
Preparations for the decisive hearing at the SP
National Councilor Markus Ritter: He wants to indicate AHV, supplementary benefits, family allowances and premium reductions at the SP.
Both knights and Pfister do this, and they emphasize it. Ritter wants to point out the social center positions strongly. « If I am chosen, I am a middle federal council, » he told Ch Media. AHV, supplementary benefits, family allowances and premium reductions are important for the middle. « If you want to bring majority from the Federal Council to parliament in these topics, which can also survive a referendum, » says Ritter, « you need broad majorities from left to right. » The middle has a « very important function » and he wanted to perceive a hinge function here.
Pfister also told Ch Media that he is particularly preparing. In terms of content, however, he says the same thing as in other factions, he states. « It is out of the question for me that I refer to a faction. »
Government Councilor Martin Pfister: « It is out of the question for me that I amced. »
Outwarding of SP National Councilor Fabian Molina illustrates the hard-wing headwind like Pfister in the Hearing. When asked about the two candidates, Molina refers to a quote in the « Work » union newspaper: With its two ticket, the middle presented the « living money-and-in-grade alliance between farmers and grand finance, » it says.
Molina about Ritter: « He is a farmer lobbyist through and through who drags nature conservation. » Molina about Pfister: «He is a tough ideologist of debt brake. He would not resist Karin Keller-Sutter here. » In order to illustrate the content of the content between center candidates and the SP, Molina emphasizes the SP values: « It stands for a strong state that invests in the future. »
SP National Councilor Fabian Molina illustrates which headwind Markus Ritter and Martin Pfister will blow in the face of the Hearing of the Social Democrats.
The Public service as an important means for knights
The ex-Juso president indirectly points to a difference between the knight and Pfister, who is central to some Social Democrats. Knight is very important the public service, he protects marginal regions, emphasize them behind the hand. In addition, knights are against privatizations and liberalizations. They appreciate the Zug Pfister very differently: be good for him privately, but the state is evil.
As an argument for Ritter you can also hear that it does not have to be taught in Bern. The complex Bern is much more difficult to understand than the homogeneous train with its minimal opposition – without a two -chamber system and without sophisticated interrogation system. In addition, various SP parliament members knight rather to stand up to Karin Keller-Sutter as a strong woman in the Federal Council.
Union and social politicians in particular have an eye on knights. Environmental politicians, on the other hand, feel by Ritter's environmental, climate and biodiversity policy and his struggle for pesticides.
The tape is cut with the Greens
He has an insurmountable problem, especially among the Greens. You also listen to the two middle candidates on Tuesday. The starting point is crystal clear: Ritter should not receive one of the total 26 green voices. The cloth between him and the party has been cut since the drinking water initiative (2021).
Only: Pfister also met with little love among the Greens. He did nothing against the Russian commodity trade, which runs heavily through train and finances his war with Putin, says Green Group leader Aline Trede. And the Green National Councilor Irène Kälin formulates fundamental reservations against both candidates.
« I am amazed at how much the two older gentlemen are convinced of how quickly they tidy up the mess in VBS, » she says. «This does not exactly speak for their modesty and not for a good assessment of how big the challenges are. I would go into such a job with a lot of humility. »
Is there a choice in the first ballot?
Since there is a head-to-head race of the two candidates, the factions have prevailed in the past few days, the close choice does not have any gimmicks in the first ballot. If you want to have a say in the new Federal Council, you have to vote for your favorite immediately. Important parliamentary members even believe that the election will be decided in the first ballot.
A certain concern can be felt shortly before the election in the camp of Markus Ritter. This has to do with the steep learning curve of competitor Pfister. After only 14 days, this is « saddle festival in terms of content, » says Mitte-Nationalrat Reto Nause.
This has caused the SVP top – it want to be knight – to take possible deviators to prayer. Pfister is likely to receive a maximum of 5 out of 74 votes from the country's largest party. In the FDP (38 votes) and in the middle (46 votes), Pfister can count on half of the votes, even 10 for the green liberals (12 votes).
Where the 50 SP votes flow into it becomes central. But that also depends on which motto the SP leaders ultimately publishes: does she want to prevent Markus Ritter, like some oracles? Or do you support a voice release? Nobody can be seen in the cards yet.
