Swiss Supreme Court elections postponed due to romantic affair
The election to renew the entire Swiss Federal Supreme Court will not take place in the autumn, but rather in the winter. This has been decided by the judicial committee of both parliamentary chambers. The reason for this is a past romantic relationship between two Federal Supreme Court judges.
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Swiss Supreme Court elections postponed due to romantic affair
On Wednesday, the Judicial Commission heard evidence from the two judges concerned, Yves Donzallaz and Beatrice van de Graaf, as well as the president of the Federal Supreme Court. The Commission also spoke to the authors of the report drawn up by the independent panel of experts on the case, as the parliamentary services announced on Wednesday.
At the end of April, the Weltwoche paper had revealed the relationship between Donzallaz and van de Graaf. The administrative commission of the Federal Supreme Court commissioned an expert report to clarify the duration and nature of the relationship.
+ Pressure mounts on Swiss federal judges over romantic affair
The central question was whether Donzallaz and van de Graaf had entered into a “long-term cohabiting relationship”. According to the Federal Supreme Court Act, such a relationship is incompatible with their office.
Following an initial internal discussion, the administrative commission decided to postpone the election of the entire Federal Supreme Court from the autumn to the winter session of 2026. The terms of office of the current Federal Supreme Court judges expire at the end of the year. With this decision, the Commission aims to gain time to carry out further investigations.
Furthermore, it wishes to keep open the option of adopting its nomination proposal for Parliament only once it is aware of any decisions the Federal Supreme Court may make regarding requests for review. According to the Commission, Donzallaz and van de Graaf intend to stand for re-election.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
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