THEODORA PETER The general elections to the Federal Council on 13 December 2023 were all about continuity. A parliamentary majority voted to preserve the balance of power. That means the Federal Council will, for the next four years, comprise two members each from the SVP, SP and FDP plus one member from the Centre (page 13). The ‘magic formula’ The unwritten law known as the ‘magic formula’ stipulates a coalition government where the four main parties are represented according to their share of the vote. The election victory of the SVP and increased share of the vote for the SP cemented their claim to power. The two biggest parties won 27.9 per cent (SVP) and 18.3 per cent (SP) of the vote. However, the entitlement of the third-placed FDP to its two seats is rather more tenuous: it accounted for 14.3 per cent of the vote, a mere whisker ahead of the Centre party (14.1 per cent). This obviously raises the question as to why the FDP has two seats, while the Centre ‘only’ has one despite winning practically the same number of votes. ‘Respect for the institutions’ Nonetheless, the Centre party decided not to demand a second seat in December at the expense of the FDP. The reason given was out of ‘respect for the institutions’. They did not want to remove any serving federal councillors from office, as Centre President Gerhard Pfister had made clear at the outset. The FDP government members, Ignazio Cassis and Karin Keller-Sutter, stood for re-election. The SVP also argued in favour of stability during times of crisis – and naturally was keen not to weaken the FDP as its ally in the right-of-centre camp. Attempt by the Greens fails However, the Greens as the fifthplaced party did go for one of the two FDP seats. “A government is stable and strong when it represents the maximum possible number of voters,” Parliament opts for status quo in the Federal Council The ‘magic formula’ for apportioning the seats on the Federal Council remains intact: the four biggest parties divide up the seven seats among themselves. However, unease is growing about the ‘power cartel’. argued faction leader Aline Trede. The Greens represent just under 10 per cent of voters. “That puts us closer arithmetically to one Federal Council seat than the FDP to two seats with its 14 per cent.” The smaller Green Liberals (GLP, 7.6 per cent) argued that the will of the voters was not adequately represented in the current constellation. “A quarter of the voters are not represented in the Federal Council,” pointed out GLP faction leader Corina Gredig. Therefore, they felt they had a case to challenge for the second FDP seat. However, Green candidate Gerhard Andrey ultimately fell well short as both FDP government members kept their seats with a comfortable majority. This was also due to the SP not wanting to break with tradition: the ‘magic formula’. That A beaming smile from the new Federal Councillor: Beat Jans (SP) is replacing the departing Alain Berset on the Federal Council. In Jans, the canton of Basel-Stadt returns to the national government following a 50-year hiatus. Photo Keystone Smaller parties remain outside the Federal Council. A quarter of voters are not represented in the government. Swiss Review / January 2024 / No.1 12 Politics
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