SP councilor Simonetta Sommaruga (62) will resign at the end of this year. The candidate carousel is already running for her successor. The party leadership proposes the following criteria to the group: Sommaruga must be followed by a woman. It doesn’t matter which part of the country. And Parliament should be able to choose between a two-person ticket.
The focus is therefore on SP women. The party, which is strongly committed to equal rights, does not want to sit in government with an all-male representation – not even temporarily.
If the Zurichers want to get the seat, a candidacy of SP government councilor Jacqueline Fehr (59) is conceivable. She tried once before in 2010, but lost to Sommaruga that time.
“I have to think about it in peace”
Or does security politician Priska Seiler-Graf (54) want to throw in her hat? When asked, the Zurich resident told Blick that the notice of resignation made her very concerned. “I must now organize my thoughts and think about them in peace.”
In 2010, the current Basel Councilor for States, Eva Herzog (60), was one of the candidates. But she didn’t make it to the SP’s two-ticket. Herzog excelled as a finance director in the canton of Basel-Stadt and was easily chosen in the small room in 2019.
Due to their age, Fehr and Herzog probably have a higher chance of being nominated by the group. In the party you can imagine a younger candidate.
Because other countries have good experiences with it. Some comrades can certainly imagine a SP councilor, similar to the Finnish government leader Sanna Marin (36) or the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (42), who brought a breath of fresh air to the government with their unconventional demeanor.
Romandy is also an option
Also mentioned is the Vaud health director Rebecca Ruiz (40), who has been in the government in Lausanne since 2019 and had previously politicized in the National Council for five years. Walloon state councilor Nuria Gorrite (52) could also be in the race.
A candidacy from Romandie is certainly an option, as French SP federal councilor Alain Berset (50) must also resign in 2023 after his year as federal president.
This not only opens up the leeway for candidates from Western Switzerland, but also from Ticino. Then Marina Carobbio Guscetti (56) could register her interest – although a second Ticino representative in the state government alongside Ignazio Cassis (61) probably isn’t realistic. Moreover, Carobbio is already running for the government of Ticino.
What do the Bernese do?
It will be exciting how Berner SP reacts. This will likely claim “their” Sommaruga chair. National councilors Flavia Wasserfallen (43) and Nadine Masshardt (38) are among the possible candidates, as well as SP councilor Evi Allemann (44).
Should a man come into play, Bern national councilor Matthias Aebischer (55) would be an option.
An almost certainly interested party would actually be the Zurich Council of States Daniel Jositsch (57). He, who is assigned to the Realo wing of the SP, has recently tried to make himself popular with the left wing, for example with his support for the Frontex referendum or the factory farming initiative.
Will he hold back now and only get into the race when Berset resigns? Jositsch only says so much to Blick: “If the faction decides that it can also be a man, I will seriously consider a candidacy.”
Duplicate vacancy with imponderables
Another insurmountable factor is that not only the seat of Sommaruga, but also that of SVP Finance Minister Ueli Maurer (71) will have to be occupied on 7 December. In the SVP, Albert Rösti (55), a man from Bern, is the top favorite for joining the state government. That makes the threshold for another Bernese seat at the SP somewhat higher.
In the SP, the non-Bernese should already have the slightly better cards in their hands. This could also boost the ambitions of other politicians – for example, the Baselbie National Councilor Samira Marti (28). In the faction, she could stage a surprise coup.
On November 19, the House of Representatives will determine the criteria for a candidacy and interested parties must submit their candidacy to the selection committee no later than November 21. The SP group will decide on 26 November who they will officially send into the race.
Ruedi Studer
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
