Marcel Dettling runs for SVP president
Published: Saturday, Jan 13th 2024, 13:20
Updated At: Saturday, Jan 13th 2024, 13:21
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National Councillor and SVP Vice President Marcel Dettling wants to: The farmer from Oberiberg SZ announced his candidacy for the office of SVP President in an interview with "Blick".
"The decision has been made," said the 42-year-old in a video interview published on "blick.ch" on Saturday. "I will run for the presidency of the Swiss People's Party." As president, it would be important for him to focus on issues that concern the population in order to continue the SVP's success in the last national elections, said Dettling.
The SVP is a party that has a clear language and a clear profile, said Dettling on Saturday's "Samstagsrundschau" on Radio SRF 1. Voters expect the SVP to have a clear stance and a clear direction. This applies both to the population in the countryside and those in the cities, where the party was able to make gains in the last elections. The aim is to reflect the problems of both urban and rural areas.
The departing Chiesa had shown a particularly strong presence in the regional sections of French-speaking Switzerland and contributed to an upswing there. Dettling himself said in the "Blick" interview that he sensed an expectation within the party that the new president should be more visible in German-speaking Switzerland again.
Focus on self-determination and migration
For Dettling, an important issue at national policy level is limiting "excessive immigration". This includes the 10 million initiative submitted by the SVP. It demands that Switzerland take measures if the resident population exceeds the limit of 9.5 million. If Switzerland has more than 10 million inhabitants before 2050, it must terminate agreements that lead to an increase in the population. For example, the free movement of persons with the EU or the UN migration pact.
With the border protection initiative, the SVP is planning to submit another initiative this year, according to Dettling. The party is calling for systematic border controls to prevent illegal migrants from entering the country. Such border controls already exist in neighboring countries.
The negotiation of an EU framework agreement is also an important issue for Dettling. Switzerland must bury this in order to defend its freedom and direct democracy, said the man from Schwyz. We should remain free from foreign judges and foreign rights.
Decision in March
Dettling has been a member of the National Council since 2015, has been SVP Vice President since 2022 and was campaign manager under the previous SVP President Marco Chiesa during the last national elections in October.
Chiesa will not be standing for re-election as President at the end of his regular term of office in March 2024, as he announced in December. Dettling is considered the favorite for the position and has been named as a possible successor by the Geneva SVP National Councillor Céline Amaudruz.
The SVP delegates will elect a new president in March.
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