2009 Swiss Federal Council election

The FDP entered the election trying to retain Pascal Couchepin's seat. Representative Didier Burkhalter (Neuchâtel) announced his candidacy on 8 July 2009,[4] followed by the Genevan representatives Christian Lüscher on 9 July and Martine Brunschwig Graf on 12 July,[5] as well as Pascal Broulis (Vaud) on 6 August.[6] Party president Fulvio Pelli, while not officially putting himself forward, stated that he would stand in the election if nominated by his party.

The FDP decided on 29 August to nominate two candidates, Burkhalter and Lüscher. Lüscher was seen as a right-wing candidate and Burkhalter as a centrist; some speculated that the FDP had nominated Lüscher to appease the SVP, while wanting Burkhalter to be elected. This strategy was considered to be risky, however, as a final vote between the FDP's Lüscher and the CVP's Schwaller would likely see Schwaller's election.[7] The FDP claimed that Lüscher was not at all meant as an appeasement, and that he was as legitimate a candidate as Burkhalter.[8]

Shortly before the election, Dick Marty (FDP Ticino) announced without the support of his party that he would accept an election; it was seen as possible that some SP and Green representatives might support him.[9]

The Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC) also stated it was entitled to a second seat. Dominique de Buman from the CVP Fribourg announced his candidacy on 7 August 2009.[10] Urs Schwaller (CVP Fribourg) will also stand. Furthermore, Luigi Pedrazzini (CVP Ticino) was nominated on 31 August 2009.[11] On 8 September 2009, the CVP unanimously nominated Schwaller.[12]

The Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) maintained that it was entitled to a second seat on the Federal Council, but that it had not yet decided when to try and obtain it. The SVP announced that it would only support the FDP's candidate if the FDP agreed to a fixed timetable for the election of a second SVP councilor. The SVP was strongly considering proposing their own candidate, with Jean-François Rime (SVP Fribourg) the only likely candidate;[13] if they do not propose their own candidate, they stated they would only vote for FDP candidates, as they do not recognize the CVP's claim to a second seat.

SP representatives stated that they would consider the candidates of CVP and FDP on their own merits, as they don't see either of the two parties having a natural claim to the seat; supporting the Greens was seen as unlikely, but possible. The FDP's Pelli was the only candidate the SP ruled out supporting.[14] Analysts stated the SP had to take into account that it would likely shortly have to replace Moritz Leuenberger's seat, and that it couldn't risk alienating the FDP too strongly.[15] The SVP almost directly threatened it might vote against the SP's second candidate and for a Green candidate in the next complete renewal of the Federal Council in 2011.[16] Shortly before the election, the SP declared that it was not decided that its members would prefer Schwaller; while he was closer to the SP on the issues, some members of the SP were reluctant to vote for a non-FDP candidate on institutional grounds. The SP also stated it would openly announce its voting behaviour (likely in an attempt to show that some SVP members – likely from constituencies strongly influenced by the farming community – would vote for Schwaller, who had tried to raise his profile as a critic of agricultural free trade with the EU).

The Greens decided on 28 August not to propose a candidate for the seat, as they had done in the two previous elections when SVP seats were contested, because they considered the time not to be right.

The small Conservative Democratic Party (BDP) stated that if any agreement to replace Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf with a SVP representative came to pass, the party would vote for the CVP's candidate.[17] Furthermore, the BDP proposed giving the BDP's votes to the CVP candidate in exchange for the CVP's support for Widmer-Schlumpf's reelection in 2011.[18]