Model minister

Thomas Burla/Tages-Anzeiger

Rita in France, clearly not afraid of tough questions, wants to know what President Micheline Calmy-Rey is wearing.

Well Rita, let me educate you – but without really answering your question. Calls to swissinfo’s election-watchers in Zurich and Bern have drawn a blank – Calmy-Rey – who stands down at the end of the year – has yet to be sighted.

But your interest is understandable. Calmy-Rey is no stranger to the fashion pages. Here the Huffington Post compares her with Anna “Nuclear” Wintour, British editor of US Vogue – although the eye-catching effort below is probably best saved for Halloween.

But to be honest, the spotlight today is less on the cabinet than on the House of Representatives and the Senate (the seven cabinet ministers will be elected on December 14 in a joint session by both chambers of parliament).

The pressure today is more on the party presidents, who, when the results are known, are brought together by Swiss television in the so-called “Elefantenrunde” (circle of elephants) to come up with feeble excuses why their party has haemorrhaged voters (or, more likely, simply hasn’t made any progress).  Fulvio Pelli, president of the Radical Party, is under even greater pressure if rumours about him not being able to get enough votes to be re-elected to the House of Representatives contain any truth.

But that’s not to say the cabinet ministers won’t be watching. Greater representation in the two chambers strengthens a party’s hand in debates, votes and indeed the cabinet elections in December.