On February 2nd, 2010, the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) launched a popular initiative for the election of the Swiss federal council by popular vote. It is the third attempt of this kind, the efforts of 1900 and 1942 having failed respectively. There are several reasons why this might be the right time to try once again. Foreign policy debacles like the recent Libya-crisis or the hasty de facto immolation of the Swiss banking secrecy amid growing pressure from the US and the EU have, on the one hand, led to harsh criticism addressed to Hans-Rudolf Merz, head of the federal department of finance and to the assessment of a leadership problem of the Swiss Federal Council as a whole on the other. While the effort of the SVP might as well be responding to such criticism, it will have the comfortable side effect of setting the agenda for the national council elections in 2011, framing the SVP in its usual oppositional role. In the meantime, the federal council puts forward its own proposal of government reform, shifting the focus to organization and away from procedure. The issue of reform, not being a new one, enables the Federal Council to draw from the results of the „Vernehmlassungsverfahren zur Staatsleitungsreform“ which had been initiated in November of 1998 and concluded in March 1999. This paper aims to discuss the SVP proposal in light of past attempts, conflicting democratic and federalist interests as well as rival proposals. Mainly, it tries to answer the question of whether the election of the federal council by popular vote might upset the federalist aspect of the current power sharing arrangement.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- How federal is the Swiss Federal Council? - Custom vs. mandate
- Past reform efforts - Mere failures or a strategic tool?
- The 2009 SVP proposal
- The proposal in detail
- Pros and cons
- The small print matters
- In whose interest is the election by popular vote?
- Reform light - Operation vs. procedure
- The democratic vs. the federalist principle
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to discuss the SVP proposal for the popular election of the Swiss Federal Council in light of past attempts, conflicting democratic and federalist interests, and rival proposals. It explores whether the election of the federal council by popular vote might upset the federalist aspect of the current power sharing arrangement.
- The history and impact of past attempts to elect the Swiss Federal Council by popular vote
- The potential consequences of popular election for the federalist structure of Swiss governance
- The balancing of democratic principles with federalist considerations in Swiss political decision-making
- The role of political parties and their influence on the composition and functioning of the Federal Council
- The current SVP proposal and its implications for the Swiss political system
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: Introduces the SVP's initiative to elect the Swiss Federal Council by popular vote and its historical context. It also outlines the paper's objective to analyze the SVP proposal in light of past attempts and competing interests.
- How federal is the Swiss Federal Council? - Custom vs. mandate: Discusses the historical development of the Swiss Federal Council, focusing on the informal "magic formula" for power sharing among political parties. It analyzes the extent to which the current composition of the Federal Council reflects actual voting trends and parliamentary strength.
- Past reform efforts - Mere failures or a strategic tool?: Examines the previous attempts to introduce popular election of the Federal Council in 1900 and 1942. It explores the political context of these initiatives and their ultimate failure, but also their possible strategic effects on the representation of specific parties.
- The 2009 SVP proposal - The proposal in detail: Presents the details of the SVP's latest proposal for popular election, including its electoral system, geographical representation requirements, and potential implications for the balance of power.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and concepts explored in this text include Swiss Federal Council, federalism, democracy, popular election, political parties, power sharing, magic formula, SVP, reform, strategic tool, and conflicting interests.
- Citation du texte
- Elena Holzheu (Auteur), 2010, Would the popular election of the Swiss Federal Council be detrimental to federalism?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/150035
