In-depth exchanges with Isabelle Moret, President of the Swiss Parliament

It is always a pleasure to exchange with Ms. Isabelle Moret, President of the Swiss Parliament and dubbed the “first citizen” of Switzerland.

This time, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we unfortunately had to communicate by video conference.

The on-the-record part of the exchange is published today in l’Agefi in the form of an interview. Key statements of Ms. Isabelle Moret included:

• For institutional reasons, I must convey the opinions of the Parliament and not my personal opinions or the positions of [my political party].
• As the supreme authority of the Swiss Confederation, the Parliament has every opportunity to issue its own urgent ordinances which prevail over those of the Federal Council (i.e. Cabinet of Ministers)
• One of the keys to Swiss stability: on the one hand, the ideas, opinions and guidelines of Members of Parliament and, on the other, the pragmatism of the Administration.
• Since the Federal Councilors (i.e. Cabinet Ministers) are elected by the Federal Assembly (i.e. Parliament), it is in their interest to listen attentively to the suggestions made by the Members of Parliament. This balance between the Federal Council and the Parliament made Switzerland successful.

Link

The print version will be published later this week.

@PhilippeMonnier