Martin Baltisser is the SVP’s preferred candidate: will Blocher’s husband become the next chancellor?

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In the shadow of the elections for the Federal Council, a prestigious position will once again be awarded on December 13. Parliament then elects the new Chancellor, that is, the head of the state government’s staff function, for four years. This position moves – depending on the interpretation – on a large scale between chief administrator and federal Bernese Rasputin.

The SVP’s claims are already known. The country’s largest party has never been able to fill the position. The names of possible candidates are circulating, but one stands out: as several sources report to SonntagsBlick, the favorite of the SVP leadership is called Martin Baltisser.

The 54-year-old was once general secretary of the party and remains part of its inner circle. Sometimes he headed the affairs of Robinvest AG, the consultancy firm of party protector Christoph Blocher (82), a sign of confidence from Herrliberg.

Apparently the qualified economist does his duties to please his superiors – since 2019 he has been a personal assistant to SVP Minister of Economic Affairs Guy Parmelin (63). Baltisser not only knows politics, but also governance from within. His loyalty to the SVP line could prove a handicap to his election; In 2015, he was convicted of racial discrimination over the ‘Kosovars slash Swiss people’ poster.

Baltisser’s colleague Nathalie Goumaz is considered a potential competitor. She is secretary general of federal councilor Parmelin, but at 58 she is already close to retirement age. Moreover, she had already applied for the position in 2007 without success.

Secret corrective

It cannot be ruled out that the center will also stake its claim again: it will appoint the retiring incumbent Walter Thurnherr (60), who enjoys a kind of cult status among Bundeshaus journalists with the rating ‘smart but funny’. Sometimes the media celebrates him as a political pop star (“Power and Myth”).

Thurnherr has turned his office into something of a secret corrective to the government’s course. At the same time, he faces the ever-increasing power of the government. With a flirtatious smile, he recognizes the label ‘eighth federal councilor’ in front of the cameras.

A candidacy is also a problem for the Greens and the Green Liberals, but they already nominate the vice-chancellor.

So it’s entirely possible that Blocher’s top man will win the race in December – assuming that’s what Baltisser wants. He can’t look at the cards yet.

Source:Blick