Who will be the next Swiss government minister?
The election for Viola Amherd's successor is set for March 12 with the Centre Party's official candidates, Markus Ritter and Martin Pfister, vying for the federal government position. Within the 'dialogue' community, Pfister appears to be the clear favourite.
“We already have many ministers from the agriculture sector; an overrepresentation is not healthy,” user Vorsichtiger Chroisti writes. This is just one of several arguments why the ‘dialogue’ user would favour Pfister as the newest member of the governing Federal Council.
“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 debatesExternal link.
Yet it is one of the arguments repeatedly brought up against Markus Ritter within the community, for example by user P. E.
“It’s actually a shame that the Centre couldn’t motivate a woman. But in this case my vote clearly goes to Martin Pfister. Markus Ritter is a farmer. In this case, this lobby would be overrepresented in the Federal Council. That’s would not do.”
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However, the fact that Ritter is so well connected in his role as president of the Swiss Farmers’ Union can also be seen as an advantage, as user Disku Ssion writes,
“You have to give him credit for the fact that the farmers’ lobby has been so strong in recent years also because of him, as he’s good at networking and organising and is assertive. These qualities are also essential for the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport to strengthen the army and get the chaos with drones and IT under control.”
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Mäx Targaryen from the “dialogue” community also sees Ritter as more suitable for the office in the federal government: “Pfister is a bureaucrat, Ritter is a business engineer. We need a majority in the Federal Council that at least has some understanding that money doesn’t grow on trees. Therefore, definitely vote for Markus Ritter.”
A colonel for the defence ministry?
Yet a majority within the “dialogue” community disagrees: in the non-representative survey, 69% of users say they would like to see Pfister as the next government minister – 12% are undecided and 18% would want Ritter in office instead.
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But is the only argument in Pfister’s favour that he is not Ritter? No, his military experience also works for him, as user Tribun Démocratique writes: “I would vote for Pfister, even though I think neither of the two candidates is ideal. At least Pfister has some experience in the army as a colonel – and if he takes over the defence ministry, he will certainly understand the situation better than those without experience”
The fact that Pfister is not a fixture in the federal parliament in Bern also works in his favour, as user Thomas Lienhard explains: “If I have to choose between Ritter and Pfister, Martin Pfister is probably the better decision. He may not be as well connected as Markus Ritter in parliament, but that’s precisely why he would probably bring a breath of fresh air into everyday politics, which we so desperately need.”
Who do you think should be the next Swiss government minister? Share your thoughts and join the debate:
Translated from German by Claire Micallef/ac
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