From outsider to crisis minister Corruption, chaos, resignations - a hell of a ride now awaits Pfister
Martin Pfister is the name of the new Federal Councillor. After the election is before the big task: as the designated head of the DDPS, corruption scandals, army problems and a power struggle in the Federal Council await him.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On Wednesday, the United Federal Assembly will elect Martin Pfister, currently a member of the Zug cantonal government, as Viola Amherd's successor.
- The 61-year-old is the presumed outsider and clearly prevails against his rival Markus Ritter.
- With construction sites in the army, personnel decisions and a sensitive corruption case, he faces major challenges.
Just a few weeks ago, hardly anyone would have bet on it: The new centrist Federal Councillor is Martin Pfister. Initially ridiculed as an alibi candidate, the long-standing member of the Zug cantonal government has clearly outperformed Markus Ritter, the St. Gallen National Councillor who is very well connected in the federal parliament.
This means that for the first time in 22 years and following the departure of Kaspar Villiger, Central Switzerland is once again represented in the national government. "It's about time," said Pfister in a recent interview with blue News.
On Wednesday, the 61-year-old was celebrated frenetically by his family, his party, his canton and his home community of Baar. However, his agenda is likely to be tight from today onwards: his predecessor Viola Amherd is only in office until the end of March. Martin Pfister only has a few weeks to familiarize himself with the dossiers.
The new magistrate will be supported by the Federal Chancellery. As part of the preparations, a new member of the Federal Council will have to give up their previous professional activities. In Zug, replacement elections for Pfister's seat on the cantonal council are due.
Numerous construction sites in the DDPS
It is virtually certain that Martin Pfister will also take over the DDPS from Viola Amherd. However, this will only become official on Friday, when the Federal Council will decide on the distribution of departments.
As the new head of the DDPS, Pfister will certainly not be short of challenges. Half a dozen key army projects are facing massive problems. In addition, both the head of the army, Thomas Süssli, and the head of the secret service, Christian Dussey, have recently resigned. Pfister will therefore have to make groundbreaking personnel decisions in the near future.
Added to this is the corruption scandal surrounding the federally owned armaments company Ruag. In a report, the Swiss Federal Audit Office has revealed glaring shortcomings in the corporate and departmental culture. In the coming months, Martin Pfister will also be judged on the extent to which he succeeds in improving compliance.
Shift to the right in the Federal Council?
A major challenge for the new centrist Federal Councillor will now be to get to know the mechanisms and pitfalls of the federal government as quickly as possible. This is also crucial in order to obtain majorities in the Federal Council. According to reports, the body was most recently governed by a middle-class bloc of four: Karin Keller-Sutter and Albert Rösti call the shots, Ignazio Cassis and Guy Parmelin follow suit.
Especially as numerous demands were already voiced in parliament on election day. For example, the Greens consider environmental protection and social justice to be under threat. The reason: with Martin Pfister, the Federal Council is moving further to the right. "He has told us that he will make sure that we have access to him and that we can voice our concerns," says Green National Councillor Balthasar Glättli to blue News.
"Neutrality is important"
According to Co-President Mattea Meyer, the SP would like Pfister to take a stand for human rights, the rule of law and democracy. He must be an opponent to Trump and Putin and take a close look at how the chaos in the army came about.
And SVP President Marcel Dettling advises the new Federal Councillor in the SRF interview with a warning undertone not to bring foreign conflicts into Switzerland. "Neutrality is important," says Dettling. Pfister should "restore security".
It bears repeating at this point: Martin Pfister has no shortage of challenges. Nevertheless, shortly after his election, he says: "I am very keen to lead the DDPS." And everyone in Bern agrees on one thing: Pfister can definitely be trusted to get the department back on track.
