Joseph Deiss: president of the confederation.
| Fonction | Politics |
On December 10, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Joseph Deiss, was appointed to the largely ceremonial post of president for 2004. The defence minister, Samuel Schmid, will serve as vice-president. Deiss received 174 votes in the election for the rotating post of president, while Schmid won 143 votes in his ballot. The justice minister, Ruth Metzler, was due to become president, but she was not re-elected by parliament.
Deiss takes over the presidency at a time of in which the political landscape in Switzerland has become more polemic and increasingly divided between the poles of Social Democratic party on the left and the Swiss People Party on the right. They have also been times of considerable turmoil for his party, the Christian Democratic Party which has seen its proportion of voters plummet over the last three national parliamentary elections from 18.3 per cent in 1995 to 12.9 per cent in 2003. But in his inaugural speech to the Federal Assembly, it is was precisely the middle ground between these two political poles that Deiss emphasized as the key to tackling the problems facing Switzerland today and in the future.
Deiss' Speech
First of all I would like to thank the Federal Assembly for their trust in me. My election as a confirmation and recognition of my deeds thus far as a member of the Federal Council, including my contribution to the effort to help Switzerland become a member of the United Nations and the economic growth strategy that I've developed and hope to realize in cooperation with parties from various sectors of the economy.
With the deselection of Ruth Metzler I lose a colleague with whom I have had the pleasure and privilege of serving for four years. I hope that our friendship, which has been strengthened as a result of the trials and tribulations of the last few months, will prove to be an enduring one.
The uncertainty as to the composition of the Federal Council has been removed. The Council must now come together in shaping the future. The challenges which lie ahead will require an utmost consensus-oriented government.
The parliamentary elections in October further polarized an already diverging political landscape. And despite the fact that today's elections were carried out in a very orderly fashion, the government's task will not be an easy one. In the future, more emphasis must be placed on the notion of consensus, a burden which lies squarely on the shoulders of the government. As has always been the case...
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