Farah Rumy (31) replaces Franziska Roth: she becomes the first councilor with Sri Lankan roots

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In Solothurn, SP woman Franziska Roth (57) has done it: she is defending the seat of retiring SP Council Member Roberto Zanetti (68). She won with 43,668 votes to 35,904 against her challenger, SVP national councilor Christian Imark (41).

But it is not only Roth who is celebrating, but also Farah Rumy (31) from Grench. In the elections for the National Council, the young canton councilor surprisingly finished in first place and is now falling down. “It’s incredible, I’m very happy,” she tells Blick. She had slept very poorly the night before and was very upset. She is looking forward to traveling to Bern with ‘Rosso’ – as Franziska Roth is called at the SP.

Almost no one expected that Rumy would enter the federal parliament before the elections, since she also had to assert herself against old SP greats on the SP list. “I was completely overwhelmed,” she tells Blick. And now: “I didn’t expect it to work on the first try.”

Tailwind from the healthcare sector

Although Rumy has only been a cantonal councilor since 2021, her electoral success is no coincidence. An important factor is their involvement in the healthcare sector. The certified nurse practitioner and current vocational teacher is co-chair of the Solothurn Nursing Association and was one of the canton’s leading figures in the voting campaign for the nursing initiative. She appeared as a speaker at demonstrations and now works in the cantonal support group for the implementation of the referendum. This made her a kind of figurehead for nurses. “My professional political engagement has certainly given me a boost,” says Rumy.

She is also active on the front lines of charity projects. In Grenchen she co-founded the Restessbar, which combats food waste through its efforts. And during the Corona pandemic, she started the ‘I give a letter’ campaign in her region, where young people wrote to the elderly to bring them joy in this lonely time.

First female national councilor with Sri Lankan roots

Rumy also thinks it is important that migrants feel represented in politics. Not without reason: she was born in Sri Lanka and came to Switzerland from Colombo with her parents in 1998 as a six-year-old. She has lived in Grenchen for more than twenty years. “I am Swiss with Sri Lankan roots,” she emphasizes. She last visited the country two years ago and part of her family still lives there.

The fact that she is now the first national councilor of Sri Lankan descent to take a seat in the federal parliament will probably make headlines again in her country of origin. When she was elected to the Solothurn Cantonal Council, the “Colombo Times” reported on the “first woman born in Sri Lanka to enter a Swiss parliament.”

Rumy remembers being surprised at how proud the Sri Lankan people were at the time. “I can imagine that my election to the National Council will also cause a lot of fuss,” she adds with a laugh.

Health policy as a hobbyhorse

She also wants to make a splash in Bern. With a clear focus: “I am going to work for a sustainable healthcare system.” For them, this includes not only the implementation of the healthcare initiative and better working conditions in their sector, but also affordable health insurance premiums and greater investments in preventive healthcare.

Rumy, who enjoys cooking and reading in her spare time, already has a committee in mind: “I would like to sit on the Social and Health Committee because it is closest to my political priorities,” she says. “But I am certainly not the only one in the SP.” She also knows that as a newcomer, she has to take a back seat when it comes to awarding commissions. Now she is looking forward to her new task, the winter session starts on December 4.

Source:Blick