Is the job of Swiss government minister too complex and ‘politically exposed’?

Who would like to replace outgoing Defence Minister Viola Amherd in the Swiss Federal Council? Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

The position of Swiss government minister seems to have lost its shine – that is according to a non-representative survey of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC)’s “dialogue” community.

The search for candidates to replace Viola Amherd, who is retiring from the Federal Council (executive body), has proven to be more difficult than expected. Finally, two male candidates from The Centre Party have thrown hats into the ring: St Gallen parliamentarian and Farmers’ Association President Markus Ritter and Zug Health Minister Martin Pfister.

What has been striking about Amherd’s retirement announcement is that many Centre Party politicians refused to join the race to replace her as defence minister in the seven-person federal government – most claiming personal reasons.

Zurich parliamentarian Philipp Kutter, for example, felt his family life would be too severely affected by the federal minister role. Thomas Rechsteiner, a parliamentarian from canton Appenzell Inner Rhodes and a member of The Centre Party, said it wouldn’t be possible to find a replacement for his current job at such short notice.

Cantonal ministers Michaela Tschuor (Lucerne) and Karin Kayser-Frutschi (Nidwalden) both said their current tasks and projects at the local level were too important for them.

Is the prestigious, round-the-clock Swiss ministerial role still appealing? According to a non-representative survey, around 52% of SBC’s “dialogue” community think it isn’t.

What is “dialogue”?

“dialogue” aims to bridge language divides and foster closer connections between people living in Switzerland and the Swiss Abroad. Users are encouraged to delve into contemporary subjects and engage in multilingual discussionsExternal link.

Dialogue user “Milli Vanilli”, for example, fully understands Philipp Kutter’s argument for turning down the post: “Balancing work and family is becoming increasingly difficult with this decision.”

In addition, there is the growing burden of being in the media spotlight. “They are totally exposed [politically]. And the salary is lower than in the private sector,” “Alafin” wrote on the “dialogue” platform.

“Many parliamentarians have hired offices and consultants in order to maintain an overview of some of the complex issues.”

“Hp. G.”
“dialogue”-user

“Contributeur Exalté”, another dialogue user, is equally critical of the heavy exposure that government ministers face. “The tendency to personalise the Swiss government ministers (annual individual assessments or attacks from other political parties) is hugely detrimental to the functioning of the Federal Council. I would like to remind you that our executive government is a council of ministers.”

What’s more, the increasing complexity of the position does not contribute to its appeal – especially when compared to the past, “dialogue” users argue. This again raises the question whether the number of government ministers on the Federal Council, currently seven, should be increased.

User “Hp. G.” writes: “Many parliamentarians have hired offices and consultants in order to maintain an overview of some of the complex issues.”

Yet around 48 % of dialogue users believe the ministerial position is still “interesting”, “attractive” and “varied”.

“You give up your life for the good of the people.”

“Curious logographer”
“dialogue”-user

“The job continues to be attractive because of the high prestige and the high pension, as well as the many mandates afterwards,” says user “Romantic Opponent”.

“You give up your life for the good of the people. There will always be those willing to pay this price,” adds “Curious logographer”.

Most users seem to grasp the difficulty of finding suitable candidates to run for the Federal Council post.

As “Olle Politico” puts it: “It requires a personality who really wants it.”

What is your opinion on the matter? Join the debate:

Translated from German by Claire Micallef/sb