Who is represented in the Parliament is bad

The 77-year-old Maximilian Reimann's running in the fall on an independent seniors list for the national Council, because it is not established by the SVP after 32 years in office. His candidacy with the "Team of 65+" he explains that the seniors had neglected for a generation of politically under represented. Reimann pushes the fact that the Aargau SVP for nominations of 63-Year-old a two-thirds majority of the party tags required.

But the pensioners are under-represented in fact, too little of the Parliament , so it needs even a targeted promotion, such as for the women? Jérôme Cosandey from the think tank Avenir Suisse is an internal party age barrier as those of the SVP Aargau thinks is wrong, because it restricts the competition among the candidates. However, he did not believe that the senior generation is represented in the Federal Parliament is bad. In Parliament the concerns of the young were much more likely to forget than those of pensioners, says political geographer Michael Hermann. The group of 50 - to 64-Year-olds, a majority in Parliament, even before the Transition to the pension age and therefore the point of view of the pensioners.

blend

the debate about the under-representation of pensioners through the demographic development is Fired. The number of pensioners will increase by 2030 from the current level of 2.6 to 3.6 million, and because the baby boom generation comes into retirement age. For Cosandey this development is, however, no reason to ask for more and more pensioners in Parliament. 20 years ago, it came to nobody to mind to ask for a better representation of the then 35 - to 45-year-old baby boomers in the Parliament, because this Generation had at that time had the largest share of the population.

From a General under-representation of pensioners in the Parliament could not be spoken. In fact, about 70 are under-represented-Year-old relative to their share of the population in the Parliament too little. This is true, however just as the 18 - to 35-Year-old. Clearly, the 65 are übervertreten, however, - to 69-Year-old.

political scientist Georg Lutz holds the concept, according to which in a Parliament of all social groups representative must be represented, is unrealistic. He doubted, moreover, that a senior list for voters is attractive. Better it will be if the parties were on their lists for a good mix. Is questionable for Lutz, whether it is the senior citizens need to be represented in Parliament. Too few Young, women, and people with low income and low education are under-represented.

foreigners

to represent all the about two million foreigners are represented. Lutz makes a radical proposal: "One can ask in a period of great mobility, whether one should not establish the right to vote consistently to the residence." After ten years of residence in Switzerland, foreigners could be granted a voting right and, in return, those Swiss are deprived of to live longer than ten years abroad.

Lutz as Cosandey keep the political orientation for the much more important criterion for voters as the generation of affiliation of the Candidates. "Anyone who doubts that a 45-Year-old can represent the concerns of a pensioner, would have to ask whether or not a 65-understands the concerns of a 90-Year-old," says Cosandey. The basic principle of democracy is that full year to Decide the policy for all meetings. So a 70 decisions-Year-old in referenda on educational expenditures that relate to him.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 27.04.2019, 07:45 PM