Bixio Caprara: “It’s not a political decision, but a personal and professional one”

FDP President Bixio Caprara will leave after one term. Elected at the head of the radical liberals on 5 February 2017, he will leave office once his successor has been appointed. It will then be up to the cantonal Congress on 3 October to elect the new president. We interviewed him immediately.

When did you take the decision not to seek a new four-year term as President of the FDP?

“There wasn’t a precise moment, but it was clear to me from the outset that the FDP should continue a path of modernisation in the wake of the radical liberal values that characterise it. I’ve always approached my role as president first and foremost with a spirit of service. Both to the party and the country. And this, for me, has meant working with commitment, conviction, passion and intensity. It’s a personal approach, but it has become increasingly incompatible with my increased professional commitments in recent months”.

The cantonal elections first and then the federal elections showed the FDP in trouble. Did this play a part in your choice?

“The situation requires a slightly more differentiated objective analysis. For the cantonal elections the FDP was confirmed and consolidated in the Grand Council while it was clear, with 5 leaving, that for the government it was an uphill struggle. The difficulties of the federal elections were predictable. However, my decision is not related to these aspects but, as I said, there are personal and above all professional reasons”.

Your journey was marked by the return of Italian-speaking Switzerland to the Federal Council after a gap lasting 18 long years. Was this the culmination of your presidency?

“The election of Ignazio Cassis to the Federal Council was certainly an exciting challenge. However, it was won thanks to a team effort on several levels. I consider it a victory for Switzerland and for Italian-speaking Switzerland in particular”.

What can you tell us about those months when weaving relations between Ticino and the North of the Alps to help Ignazio Cassis?

“Let’s say that having some relationships beyond Gotthard and being able to express myself in German helped me. It was further proof that only by making a credible argument is it possible to be heard and, above all, understood in Bern”.

There was a difficult moment, on the evening of the Extraordinary Committee on 29 November, amid tensions and heated discussions. There are those who wanted his head, first and foremost the MP Matteo Quadranti. Was that legitimate or an exaggeration?

“It was normal for someone to try to take advantage of the situation, let’s say it wasn’t a classy exit. I’d like to remind you that the painful choice of the technical union with the other centre parties was discussed and decided democratically in a specific cantonal committee on 1 August 2019 in Melide”.

Speaking to your team, you said, “Don’t abandon ship”. Do you still believe it was the right choice?

“Politicians must also be willing to lose. Churchill said “politics is to go from one defeat to another without ever losing enthusiasm”. In the meantime, a process of relaunching the party has started, allowing those who come to the party not to have to start from scratch, if they want to”.

That evening a sort of road map was announced to relaunch the FDP. Then the recent difficult months have delayed everyone and everything. Now what about your idea, isn’t it going to bind whoever leads the party from September?

“That’s why it’s important that make the mandate available now. The process is under way and these steps must be taken regardless of who’s leading the party. The new leadership will then understand what to do with the indications that emerge from the base, for example in the poll”.

As a starter, how do you assess the state of health of the FDP, handing it over to new leadership?

“I’m convinced that the values of freedom, cohesion and progress are the key words for the relaunch of the country and I see a new generation ready to work according to these principles that have made our country great. The party is made up of intelligent and competent people, motivated to make their contribution to the country”.

If I said the time might be ripe for a female presidency, how would you react?

“The gender criterion is certainly important but it would be demeaning if it were predominant. In this party it’s the quality of people that makes the difference, not sex or skin colour. A president has to be able to be president. Woman or man”.

How is Ticino’s politics?

“Every now and then I would like fewer words and more action and above all I’m not a fan of party politics just for show. The country needs answers and not slogans without substance. Political fragmentation, the perpetual election campaign and not least the new digital channels that often distract and sap the energy from the work of continuous consensus-seeking. Today, some episodes lead me to think that, given the recent events in Parliament, politics is being conducted on Facebook rather than in the committees. And that’s very dangerous. For this reason, I believe that the FDP can be the compass for the revival of our country”.

What have you failed to accomplish in these four years and regret not doing so?

“There are positive aspects and others less so but that’s normal. I think it’s important to make people more aware that politics is a team game and individualists don’t help a party grow.

You’re leaving the presidency, but will you stay on the Grand Council?

“The people of Ticino elected me for the Grand Council, the party congress for the presidency. They are different roles. For me, politics is a passion that requires head, heart and hands. And in this sense, I want to continue to make my contribution to the country”.