Maja Riniker: “Cohesion in diversity”
“I hope that we will make solid and lasting decisions in this room over the next twelve months for the future of our country,” she said in her speech. “Our country needs it.”
L’Argovienne intends to place its presidential year under the motto: “Cohesion in diversity”. For her, diversity and cohesion are interdependent, and one cannot exist without the other in the country. While Switzerland knows four national languages as well as different regions and cultures, “we are united by a common understanding of direct democracy: an aspect that we must cherish and live by,” she stressed. “What is a certain value for us unfortunately remains an increasingly rare reality in the world.”
Democracy means defending one’s convictions and values, and seeking majorities, but also accepting that the population sometimes takes decisions different from those we would like, according to the newly elected president. Democracy also means respecting and supporting minorities, especially if you are part of the majority yourself, she continued.
Before his election, the Argovienne had already noted that the Confederation “is not limited to German-speaking Switzerland”. And to specify that she had been taking conversation classes since her arrival on the national political scene, in order to improve her French.
Maja Riniker will be supported in her role by Pierre-André Page (UDC/FR), elected first vice-president by 156 votes out of 161 valid ballots. Katja Christ (PVL/BS) will serve as second vice-president, elected by 115 votes out of 163 valid ballots.
Our portrait: Maja Riniker, the first very Swiss citizen, between politics, family and consensus
Andrea Caroni: “Every man who has power is inclined to abuse it”
As for Andrea Caroni, 44, he is a politician at heart. He began his political career when he joined the newly created local section of the PLR in Grub (AR) at age 19. In 2011, when he was finance minister of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, he was elected to the National with a clear lead over his opponents. Four years later, he was elected to the Council of States, then he was re-elected twice with good results, sometimes without competition.
Before his election, the liberal-radical from Appenzell Ausserrhoden had already indicated that he wanted to take advantage of his year in office to highlight the importance of liberal democratic institutions in Switzerland.
“The world is going badly,” said Andrea Caroni in his speech. Around the world, far too many people are oppressed by despots, autocracy is gaining ground again and the liberal, democratic rule of law is under pressure, he said. “In particularly pathological cases, these despots still transport violence in the form of war to other countries.”
This despotism is unfortunately the norm in the history of humanity, because the attraction of power is strong, continued the new president. “Every man who has power is inclined to abuse it. The Enlightenment philosophers knew this, as did my favorite author, Tolkien, in his Lord of the Rings.»
But everything is not dark, he explained. Poverty, both in the world and in Switzerland, has declined. Life expectancy has increased. To unleash this force for progress, “we need freedom and security, which we obtain through institutions of common life.” Swiss politics is designed so that everyone is involved and no one has too much influence, so that “power is fragmented,” he concluded.
Andrea Caroni will be able to count on the support of Stefan Engler (Center/GR), elected first vice-president by 45 votes out of 45 valid ballots. Werner Salzmann (UDC/BE) was elected second vice-president by 43 votes out of 43 valid ballots.
In 2017, during the vote on the burqa: Andrea Caroni: “The State does not have to legislate on clothing”
