Political Science

The Federal Council: Rigid, but modern

The Federal Council has operated the same way for almost 180 years. Should it undergo a radical modernization? Despite no major reforms, the Federal Council is very modern in certain respects, says Adrian Vatter, professor of political science.

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Adrian Vatter: In terms of diversity, the body was actually ahead of its time - from the beginning, it integrated various parts of society, from different regions and language areas, parties, and groups – except women or long-term residents without Swiss citizenship. In that regard, the Federal Council is still not diverse or “modern” enough today, and it is also quite old in terms of age structure.

“The Federal Council promotes group intelligence and strongly appeals to personal responsibility – in these aspects, the Federal Council is extremely modern.”

Adrian Vatter

Yes, most female Federal Councillors were childless. Having children is, of course, not a formal exclusion criterion. But the office is very hard to reconcile with family life: The day starts at 6.30 a.m., and from then on you are controlled by others until the evening and your schedule is packed with appointments at home and abroad. That leaves only the weekend for reviewing documents, which is extremely demanding.

That would mean a loss of power, which the members of the government don’t want. And the more Federal Councillors there are, the more coordination is required. That’s time-consuming and labor-intensive. But it would work the way others do it: Other countries the size of Switzerland have 15, 20, or 25 ministers. We always have the same seven people who travel everywhere, whereas in other places, the duties are shared.

Yes, realistically speaking, we won’t see job-sharing or more options for working from home in the Federal Council anytime soon. But my impression is: nobody thinks it’s good that there are currently only two women on the Federal Council. The political pressure on this issue is huge. I assume nobody wants to go back to the 1990s. But the ball is first in the court of the political parties and women’s organizations. They definitely need to develop long-term female candidates.

Well, it’s clear that members of the Federal Council are exceptionally conscientious and hardworking. But the office is still attractive. Being in the Federal Council means you’re at the pinnacle of power. Of course, the huge workload and lack of autonomy are challenges. On the other hand: If you truly want to shape and influence as a politician, you’re willing to pay that price. What we saw during the last Federal Council elections is new. Even though the office is highly prestigious, the new generation – like Martin Candinas or Flavia Wasserfallen – is setting different priorities and declined it in favor of their families.

Yes, that’s the case. The Federal Council and the administration proved that during a crisis situation, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Many civil servants and female politicians performed tremendous work. That shouldn’t be underestimated. Many critical voices overlook that.

“Dividing the work among more people carries risks, requires more coordination, and a non-hierarchical body stops functioning beyond a certain size.”

Adrian Vatter

Compared internationally, our administration is, first of all, not that large, and secondly, relatively efficient and not corrupt. It is – with a few exceptions – digitally very agile, but it has clear hierarchies. But it’s true: expanding the Federal Council or the administration in general is not politically viable and would meet with broad resistance. In 2019 , SP National Councilor from Bern, Nadine Masshardt, submitted a parliamentary initiative to expand the Federal Council to nine members. It was approved in committees and even in the National Council plenary, but ultimately failed in the Council of States. That kind of proposal might come back to the table.

I don’t think that’s the solution. Dividing responsibilities among more people brings risks, demands more coordination, and at a certain size, a non-hierarchical body stops working – at that point, leadership is needed.

In my conversations with around twenty former Federal Councillors, many shared the same view: We don’t need to expand the body, but we do need to strengthen its leadership and performance capabilities. For example, through a presidential department, as some cantons and cities already have. The Federal Council is both the head of the administration and the executive leadership of the state – in one person.

“I am convinced that the Federal Council of the future will be more female, more diverse, and younger.”

Adrian Vatter

That it really shouldn’t work at all – that’s what fascinated me: There is no head of government, no government program, everyone is equal. There is no priority setting like in a coalition agreement, and the Federal Council has no guaranteed majorities in Parliament. Those are extremely difficult conditions. And yet: the Swiss Federal Council is the most stable government in the world, perhaps alongside the U.S. presidency.

I believe it will be more female, more diverse, and younger. I’m convinced of that. If you look at the average age, our government is currently the second-oldest in Europe! At the same time, I think its core – as a collegial body – will change very little. It has served us well so far. The Federal Council enjoys a high level of trust, we believe in its stability, and it is indeed capable of evolving – think flat hierarchies. But perhaps it will govern more through networks – meaning more experts will join the government to take on specific complex tasks.