It has been clear since Tuesday who will sit on the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (PUK) to deal with the emergency merger of CS. The six parliamentary blocs nominated a total of 14 candidates. On Wednesday (today) it will be decided who will head the committee.
The offices of the Council of States and the National Assembly will formally elect the PUK, its presidency and vice president on Wednesday afternoon. Fourteen deputies – seven from the National Assembly and seven from the Council of States – will hold seats. Each office elects its own council members.
In the past few days, the parliamentary blocs nominated their most suitable candidates for the seat of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Because exactly 14 candidates are known, there should be no surprises or running into the election.
Eleven Swiss Germans, nine men
As for the largest parliamentary group, the first vice-president, the Bernese Council of States Werner Salzmann, and the Zurich national councilors Thomas Mater and Alfred Herr are likely to be elected to the PUK. The middle parliamentary group relies on state councilors Heidi Zagragn (UR) and Isabelle Chassot (F) and national councilor Leo Müller (LU). The FDP’s parliamentary group proposed the Basel offer by National Chancellor Daniela Schneiberger and State Councilors Philip Bauer (N-E) and Andrea Caroni (AR).
National Councilor Roger Nordmann (French) and State Councilor Daniel Josic (ZH) are set to represent the PUK Socialist Party. Green Party candidate Maja Graf (BL) and National Councilor Franziska Reeser (SG). Finally, Roland Fischer, Lucerne’s National Councilor, will represent the GLP.
Remarkably, eleven of the fourteen candidates come from German-speaking Switzerland. A total of nine men and five women were also nominated.
Run to the office
It is unclear who will take over the prestigious PUK president post. The Coordinating Conference – the body made up of the bureaus of the National Assembly and the Council of States – will make the decision early Wednesday afternoon. The chairman and vice-chairman may not belong to the same board.
Because of the majority in the council offices, a representative from the political center is likely to win the race for the presidency.
Then the pole parties will have nothing, like the business-friendly Free Democratic Party and the Green Party, who are not represented in the government. Upon the KDP’s nomination to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Free Democratic Party and the Greens did not register any explicit interest in chairing the committee.
It cannot be ruled out that the GLP representative will win in the end. As an economist and financial expert, 58-year-old Roland Fischer has the know-how and skills for this important task. Fisher also serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Council (FK-N).
Middle trio with good chances
However, many political observers see the middle faction as the favourite. Isabelle Chassot, State Councilor in Freiburg, is often mentioned. But fellow Uri native Heidi Zagragen and national advisor Leo Mueller (LU) could also have a chance.
The Senior Vice President sees Alfred Herr as the most suitable candidate for the leadership of the PUK. As a member of the Audit Committee (GPK-N) and the Audit Delegation (GPDel), he has extensive experience.
The Socialist Party had already nominated its parliamentary group leader, Roger Nordmann, for the presidency a week ago. At the same time, Nordmann resigned from his position at the head of the parliamentary group.
The fifth Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in history
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will comprehensively review the emergency takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS and the relevant decisions of the Federal Council. Parliament decided to form the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan last week. The Federal Council supports the project. A comprehensive reassessment of events is necessary and reasonable.
The PUK has only been used five times in the country’s history. It is the most powerful tool of parliamentary oversight and can, in particular, question people as witnesses and inspect minutes and documents of Federal Council meetings. In addition, she can hire an investigator to collect evidence. (SDA)
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