There is still hope that Blocher might loose his seat as a Bundesrat.............

The elections are currently going on in Bern http://de.bluewin.ch/news/index.php/...tswahl/-/13289

Leuenberger and Couchepin are re elected so far.........

Thanks for the newsticker. However the chances of Blocher getting the boot are minimal, except if there's a super-secret widely supported plan to achieve this. Officially the social democrats and greens will vote against him (for Recordon possibly), CVP will abstain and FDP/SVP are going to support him. Not an outstanding result, but that's a relative majority.

Question is, will he become vice president 2008? This would be the informal rotation rule and if he gets skipped, that would be a big slap to the face and consequentally he wouldn't become president 2009. Alas, improbable too...

Yup sadly you are right,but there's is still hope.................tho' if they would need up to 5 tries to get him elected, I doubt Mr.Blocher would do the decent thing that Mrs. Metzler did a few years ago!

Blocher was just voted out.

Ha!!!! what did I say! There was still hope ( and a few magistrates with well functioning grey matter) and now i am going to take the pins out of my Blocher Vodoo doll

No don't do that yet he can still be voted in... Its a complex system...

AHAHAHAHA

I don't think they're going to walk the walk and go into opposition...

It would strike me as odd if Blocher were to go, since the SVP has more support from the people than ever (33% of the popular vote in the last election wasn't it?).

the lady that was elected instead of Mr.Blocher,Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is the daughter of former councillor LEON SCHLUMPF http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/cf/br/93.html

( oh no don't start the smurf jokes a-bloody-gain )

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eveline_Widmer-Schlumpf

I am happy to have a second woman in the Bundesrat as well as about the fact that we too now have a politicians dynasty,alike the Bushs in America.

AFAIK ( on top of my head) it's the only time were a parent and later on it's child were voted into the Bundesrat.

28.9% but the elected Schlumpf is also from the SVP... So the SVP would still be proportionally represented in the government if they want.

Yeah Richard, you're right...

As much as I disagree with Blocker, I think it would make the Swiss system look a bit sick if he was not elected.

Thats what the condordance ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consociationalism) is about,it had to be someone else from the SVP to be elected but a moderate SVP member is better, than another four years with Blocher!

This is what makes it amazing to follow these elections, you can never be sure of the outcome.

(edited - thought she was the one from Graubunden that recently got kicked out of the SVP(
Oh, she wasn't around to say no....

And of course she can choose to know accept the election...

I missed the vote that proposed that Blocher couldn't be stood for any other position. Did the motion pass?

Widmer-Schlumpf still has to agree to become the new SVP Bundesrat (apparently there is a good chance that she will decline), but we won't know her decision until she arrives in Bern.

Which, according to my sources, is unlikely. But if she wants to accept it she will probably be thrown out of the SVP. Now if I was offered an annual salary of 250K CHF for life , my loyalties might change.

CVP? She is a member of the SVP.

Blocher, in theory, can still be voted in, standing against Doris Leuthard for her seat. I doubt he will tho'...

They can't vote on that as such. There are two ways Blocher can get in.
1. Widmer-Schlumpf declines the guaranteed SVP vote. Given that Blocher is the leader of the SVP it is almost certain that this has been agreed in advance although given recent politics in Graubunden that could change...
If that happens the SVP position is opened to the floor. Then Blocher can stand but CVP etc can put candidates forward. He can win that.
2. If he loses then the SVP can claim representation - no guarantee of approval. That is that as they are the largest party they should have the 2 Bundesrate and not another party. They can then propose their own candidate - guess who...

So really it needs Widmer-Schlumpf to accept the election.

Yep and i really hope she does and that the parrty will cut their losses and be happy to have saved a seat for the party in the Bundesrat, they can then still try to get Blocher re elected in four years time!