‘The Federal Council requires a change in its composition ‘
A large majority of the "dialogue" community believes that two Radical-Liberal seats are no longer justified.
Not even Harry Potter can help anymore: The Federal Council’s magic formula has lost its magic. At least that’s how almost three quarters of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) “dialogue” audiences see it. According to the majority of commentators, following the parliamentary elections this past October, it is no longer justified that two seats go to each of the three largest parties and one seat to the fourth largest.
Specifically called into question is the second Radical-Liberal Party seat in the Federal Council. User “Chroniqueur Romanesque” asks: “How can a party which makes up barely more than 14% of the electorate occupy two of the seven seats in the Federal Council?” And when looking at the voter share of the Greens, “Chroniqueur Romanesque” went on to ask, “Why shouldn’t a party which makes up almost 10% of the electorate get a seat instead?” These two questions garnered the most user endorsement in the ongoing debate.
For user “J.-F. Impliqué”, the current magic formula of the Federal Council is nothing more than hocus pocus. “The distribution should match the proportion of elected officials as much as possible”, “J.-F. Impliqué” says and also questions the number of seats: “With seven Federal Councillors, you need about 14% of the votes to claim a seat, while with nine Federal Councillors, the proportion drops to 11%. This would be a double advantage, as a reorganisation of the offices would make it possible to promote topics which are somewhat less in the spotlight.”
According to most “dialogue” users, the current election results is not the only reason the magic formula has lost its charm. “Today, we have more parties than we had years ago. Therefore, a change is necessary”, writes user “Florian Précise”. “The magic formula was formed in the late 1950s and is based on the political issues of the time. Above all, the composition should also take a long-term perspective on certain topics (e.g., AI systems, global warming, mobility, etc.) into account “, says user “Intervenant Enchanté”.
However, there are those who argue in favour of the current composition of the Federal Council. According to 27% of users, they want to stick to the magic formula for its stability and balance. “Beyond the current percentages, the formula must reflect a medium to long-term balance. And so far, it works and prevents a dangerous drift”, writes user “Milli Vanilli”.
User “Joe Di Maggio” agrees: “In contrast to the majority governments in most European countries, our system is characterised by its stability. Our neighbouring countries show that it is impossible to pursue long-term projects with a change of government after each election, as a new government from a different camp will simply give up these projects. Fortunately, this is not the case with us.”
What do you think? How does the composition of the Federal Council affect future developments or voting patterns? Join the discussion!
Claire Micallef
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