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Proposal for a Swiss style Federal Council?
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:06 pm
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:06 pm
Would you support a Federal Council as opposed to a Presidency? If you're unfamiliar with the concept, look now further than the Swiss FC.
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the collective executive head of government and state of Switzerland.
''While the entire council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Switzerland, each Councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. The position of Federal President rotates among the seven Councillors on a yearly basis, with the year's Vice President becoming next year's President.''
5 different parties sit on the council, albeit mostly liberal.
The members of the Federal Council are elected for a term of four years by both chambers of the Federal Assembly sitting together as the United Federal Assembly. Each Councillor is elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of votes. Every adult Swiss citizen is eligible, but in practice, only Members of Parliament or more rarely, members of Cantonal governments are nominated by the political parties and receive a substantial number of votes. The voting is conducted in several rounds, under a form of exhaustive ballot: in the first two rounds, anyone can enter their name; but in subsequent rounds, the person receiving the fewest votes is removed from the race until one candidate gains an absolute majority.
With Council seats allocated to parties by unwritten agreement (see above), Federal Council elections generally are unexciting, pleasant affairs. Usually, the party which has a seat to fill presents two candidates with mainstream viewpoints to the United Federal Assembly, which then chooses one. This was not so, however, during the 2003 election, which was the most controversial in recent memory (see also above).
Once elected, Councillors remain members of their political parties, but hold no leading office with them. In fact, they usually maintain a certain political distance from the party leadership, because under the rules of collegiality, they will often have to publicly promote a Council decision which does not match the political conviction of their party (or of themselves).
-Discuss
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the collective executive head of government and state of Switzerland.
''While the entire council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Switzerland, each Councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. The position of Federal President rotates among the seven Councillors on a yearly basis, with the year's Vice President becoming next year's President.''
5 different parties sit on the council, albeit mostly liberal.
The members of the Federal Council are elected for a term of four years by both chambers of the Federal Assembly sitting together as the United Federal Assembly. Each Councillor is elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of votes. Every adult Swiss citizen is eligible, but in practice, only Members of Parliament or more rarely, members of Cantonal governments are nominated by the political parties and receive a substantial number of votes. The voting is conducted in several rounds, under a form of exhaustive ballot: in the first two rounds, anyone can enter their name; but in subsequent rounds, the person receiving the fewest votes is removed from the race until one candidate gains an absolute majority.
With Council seats allocated to parties by unwritten agreement (see above), Federal Council elections generally are unexciting, pleasant affairs. Usually, the party which has a seat to fill presents two candidates with mainstream viewpoints to the United Federal Assembly, which then chooses one. This was not so, however, during the 2003 election, which was the most controversial in recent memory (see also above).
Once elected, Councillors remain members of their political parties, but hold no leading office with them. In fact, they usually maintain a certain political distance from the party leadership, because under the rules of collegiality, they will often have to publicly promote a Council decision which does not match the political conviction of their party (or of themselves).
-Discuss
This post was edited on 11/4/16 at 2:07 pm
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Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:27 pm to StrawsDrawnAtRandom
No. That system may work well for a nation like Switzerland, which maintains an international stance of neutrality, and is so small and relatively isolated from the rest of the world that nobody gives a frick.
It will not work for a nation like the US where no matter the policies of the nation at the time, there will be vast numbers of groups and states wishing to do us all types of harm (physical, economic, electronic, etc). In our situation, the head of state is quite often tasked with making decisions with potentially worldwide implications in the middle of the night - like the one recently made to invade a foreign nation and kill the leader of one of those groups.
Decisions of that magnitude shouldn't be made by a leader chosen from a group indirectly selected by council members and sitting in the chair simply because it was their turn in the rotation.
If you want to talk about ways to reform the federal government that would result in cooperative legislation to address the nation's issues, let's start with term limits so that being a senator or representative is a period of national service instead of a lucrative career choice.
It will not work for a nation like the US where no matter the policies of the nation at the time, there will be vast numbers of groups and states wishing to do us all types of harm (physical, economic, electronic, etc). In our situation, the head of state is quite often tasked with making decisions with potentially worldwide implications in the middle of the night - like the one recently made to invade a foreign nation and kill the leader of one of those groups.
Decisions of that magnitude shouldn't be made by a leader chosen from a group indirectly selected by council members and sitting in the chair simply because it was their turn in the rotation.
If you want to talk about ways to reform the federal government that would result in cooperative legislation to address the nation's issues, let's start with term limits so that being a senator or representative is a period of national service instead of a lucrative career choice.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:30 pm to StrawsDrawnAtRandom
Nope. I'm in favor of the Founders' idea as layed out in the Constitution. If we were going to make a change in our current system, I would support that one.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:39 pm to JustGetItRight
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No. That system may work well for a nation like Switzerland, which maintains an international stance of neutrality, and is so small and relatively isolated from the rest of the world that nobody gives a frick.
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potentially worldwide implications in the middle of the night
This is one instance, however: A seven party vote doesn't take that much time. We're in the 21st century, if seven people can't be made to say ''yes'' or ''no'' or ''unreachable'' in the span of two minutes I'm uncertain we can really do anything.
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Decisions of that magnitude shouldn't be made by a leader chosen from a group indirectly selected by council members and sitting in the chair simply because it was their turn in the rotation.
That's not how it works, at all.
In urgent situations where a Council decision cannot be made in time, he is empowered to act on behalf of the whole Council. Apart from that, though, he is a primus inter pares, having no power above and beyond the other six Councillors.
It's only reserved for, as you said, urgent situations, and even that the council still has some form of action available.
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Decisions of that magnitude shouldn't be made by a leader chosen from a group indirectly selected by council members and sitting in the chair simply because it was their turn in the rotation.
Also not how it works.
Each year, one of the seven Councillors is elected by the United Federal Assembly as President of the Confederation. There is a rotation, but it is not by arbitration.
However, they are, as stated above ''primer inter pares'' (first among equals), which is not the same thing as an official head of state, that is to say, he or she has no greater power than any other member of the council.
quote:
If you want to talk about ways to reform the federal government that would result in cooperative legislation to address the nation's issues, let's start with term limits so that being a senator or representative is a period of national service instead of a lucrative career choice.
A good way to do so is to have exactly what they have. A group of people coming to conclusions with five different parties instead of having two different parties who can literally stalwart and become static at the drop of a hat.
Two giant parties are never going to give themselves term limits.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:41 pm to five_fivesix
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I'm in favor of the Founders' idea as layed out in the Constitution.
Yuck, traditionalists.
I just don't think the one guy does anything without any counterweight functions anymore, and Bill Clinton pretty much showed us this. We need more diversity in representation (not in the minority sense) than what we have, but the way the political infrastructure is, I feel it's impossible.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:48 pm to StrawsDrawnAtRandom
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I just don't think the one guy does anything without any counterweight functions anymore, and Bill Clinton pretty much showed us this. We need more diversity in representation (not in the minority sense) than what we have, but the way the political infrastructure is, I feel it's impossible.
If Thomas Jefferson were to come back today, he'd be disgusted. And would probably support the Swiss plan.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 2:51 pm to five_fivesix
quote:
If Thomas Jefferson were to come back today, he'd be disgusted. And would probably support the Swiss plan.
And that's exactly the point I'm trying to make. I just don't think this system is working anymore -- whether it's because of the political affiliation or simply because most of us are not represented whatsoever.
That's the big one for me. If we didn't literally have the worst two candidates in the history of our elections, or well, the history of the world, none of us would vote.
We need more parties for sure, and there's no way this system will permit it.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 3:09 pm to StrawsDrawnAtRandom
It doesn't matter because there is no system you can set up which cannot be taken advantage of by shrewd people who are corrupt.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 3:32 pm to StrawsDrawnAtRandom
quote:
Each Councillor is elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of votes.
Yuck.
Turning everything over to a popular vote would change our elections from being national elections to being "who can get the most votes in the major cities." People in rural areas (and therefore what matters to them) would be completely ignored.
The best thing, hell maybe the only good thing, about our current system is that basically the interests of rural voters and voters in "flyover" states are per capita more important than the interests of those in major cities. This provides a balance that keeps the entire system in check.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 8:17 pm to cardboardboxer
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This provides a balance that keeps the entire system in check.
Balance.
System in check.
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Turning everything over to a popular vote would change our elections from being national elections to being "who can get the most votes in the major cities." People in rural areas (and therefore what matters to them) would be completely ignored.
Electoral colleges say hi.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 9:51 pm to StrawsDrawnAtRandom
I'm just wondering if it'll be more assholes to hear about or more assholes to keep up with or both.
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