VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSW #0633 3461543
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111543Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5530

UNCLAS BERN 000633 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SZ
SUBJECT: SWISS CABINET ELECTIONS: UELI MAURER TO 
REPLACE DEFMIN SCHMID; FINANCE MINISTER MERZ ELECTED 
PRESIDENT FOR 2009 
 
UELI MAURER ELECTED TO FEDERAL COUNCIL 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶1. (U) Swiss People's Party (SVP) candidate Ueli 
Maurer was elected December 10 by a joint session of 
the Swiss Parliament into the seven-member Federal 
Council (Executive Cabinet).  In what was expected to 
be a narrow contest, Maurer won by a single vote, 
garnering 122 of the 243 valid ballots cast.  Former 
Justice Minister and SVP figurehead Christoph Blocher, 
who in addition to Maurer was nominated by the SVP as 
a candidate for the position, withdrew his candidature 
after receiving only 54 votes in the first round of 
voting. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Reflecting the polarizing nature of the 
Blocher and Maurer candidacies within the Parliament, 
the Socialist, Center-Left, and Green MPs voted 
largely for SVP MP Hansjoerg Walter Q a "wild card" 
candidate who was not nominated by his party for the 
position.  Walter generally is viewed by the SVP's 
political opponents as more moderate than Maurer, who 
is closely associated with the SVP's aggressive 
campaign style Q and electoral success - of the past 
decade. 
 
¶3. (U) Following his election to the Federal Council, 
Maurer thanked the Parliament for its support, saying 
his election represented a "yes" in favor of the Swiss 
political tradition of consensus.  He commented that 
he was pleased that the People's Party was now back in 
the government.  Meeting soon after the election, the 
Federal Council announced December 10 that Maurer will 
assume the duties of outgoing Defense, Civil 
Protection, and Sport Minister Samuel Schmid at year's 
end. 
 
UELI MAURER:  BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) Ueli Maurer (58) is married and has six 
children.  He has been a MP (National Council) since 
1991 and had served as president of the national SVP 
party for 12 years before stepping down in February. 
In August he was elected president of the Zurich 
cantonal chapter of the SVP.  Outside of politics, he 
has professional experience in the agricultural 
sector, and over the years has managed several farmers 
associations in the Zurich area.  He is president of 
the Swiss vegetable producers' association. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ideologically very close to SVP party guru 
Christoph Blocher, Maurer was a leading force in the 
aggressive campaign strategies of the SVP over the 
last decade in which the SVP ultimately became the 
strongest political force in the federal and cantonal 
parliaments.  He is known to be opposed to Swiss 
military foreign missions.  Maurer also opposes the 
extension of the Swiss-EU agreement on the "free 
movement of persons" to Romania and Bulgaria. 
Nevertheless, the Swiss tradition of forming coalition 
governments comprised of representatives of all the 
major political parties requires much compromise and 
consensus.  Pundits expect therefore that Maurer will 
be compelled to support (or at least not contradict) 
Federal Council decisions, whatever his personal 
views.  That largely should ensure continuity in Swiss 
policies of interest to the USG. 
 
FINMIN MERZ ELECTED SWISS PRESIDENT FOR 2009 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) As was expected, the December 10 joint session 
of Parliament elected Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf 
Merz (FDP) to be the Swiss president for 2009, making 
him first-among-equals in the seven-member Federal 
Council.  The Swiss presidency primarily is a 
ceremonial responsibility that rotates annually among 
the members of the Federal Council, with candidacies 
based on seniority, but still requiring parliamentary 
confirmation.  Merz (66) underwent emergency heart 
surgery in September and returned to the FinMin job in 
November.  In the December 10 election he received 185 
out of 209 valid votes.  He will succeed his FDP party 
colleague Pascal Couchepin as president.  Christian 
Democratic (CVP) Federal Councilor and Economic 
Minister Doris Leuthard was elected vice-president 
with 173 out of 198 votes.  In Swiss practice this 
will set up Leuthard to be elected president for 2010. 
 
CARTER