Glättli announces resignation as Green Party president after election defeat
Published: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 16:20
Updated At: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 16:24
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Green Party President Balthasar Glättli is drawing the consequences of his party's election defeat and will step down from office next spring. He is the face of this defeat. For a new upswing, new forces are needed at the top of the party.
This was announced by the Greens on Tuesday after Swiss Radio (SRF) reported the news. Glättli had originally planned to announce his resignation after the Federal Council elections on December 13 so as not to disrupt Gerhard Andrey's candidacy for an FDP seat. Now the news has leaked out earlier.
Der Zürcher Nationalrat hatte die Geschäftsleitung der Grünen Partei bereits am Tag nach den nationalen Wahlen vom 22. Oktober 2023 über seinen Rücktritt informiert, wie die Partei schreibt. Der nationale Vorstand und die Parlamentsfraktion wurden Anfang November informiert.
Große Ambitionen verfehlt
"In a party, there is a responsibility to step forward at the right moment and take on challenges," Glättli was quoted as saying in the press release. "And there is the responsibility to take a step back at the right moment."
It is now time to pass on the baton, said Glättli in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. The party's great ambitions for the elections had been missed. The aim was to confirm the glorious election victory in 2019, which was not achieved. "In a way, I am the face of this."
A detailed analysis of what went wrong will follow. According to Glättli, it is up to his successor to lead the Greens back onto the road to success. The climate crisis remains the biggest challenge for the economy and society.
Members gained
Glättli played a key role in shaping the Greens for a decade. He has been parliamentary group president since 2013 and led the party to its historic election success as co-election campaign manager in 2019. And from 2020, he led the Greens through crisis-ridden times as President.
One of Glättli's successes was the clear approval of the Climate Protection Act by voters - after all, he was a co-inventor and co-initiator of the glacier initiative. Despite the election defeat in October, the Greens have grown more than ever before during Glättli's term of office: never before has the party had so many members.
This fact also gives the party the self-confidence to claim a seat in the Federal Council. This is appropriate despite the election defeat, said Glättli. A large part of the population that represents Green concerns is still not represented in the government.
Wahlkampf zu einseitig
Nevertheless, the Greens lost 3.4 percentage points of voter share in the elections. They will have five fewer members in the National Council in the coming legislature. The number of seats in the Council of States is also likely to shrink from five to three.
Ein Teil der Wählerschaft wechselte vier Jahre nach der historischen Klimawahl zur SP, wie Nachwahlbefragungen zeigten. Andere Sympathisanten der Grünen gingen im Gegensatz zu 2019 nicht mehr wählen. Glättli sagte im SRF-Bericht zu diesen Ergebnissen, seine Partei habe vielleicht einen zu eng gefassten Wahlkampf geführt.
However, Glättli went on to say that his party's election defeat was not just down to him personally, just as he was not solely responsible for the Greens' historic best result in the fall of 2019.
Ko-Vorsitz denkbar
Bezüglich der Nachfolge sagte Glättli, er könne sich ein Führungsduo gut vorstellen. Die Parteispitze sollte jünger und weiblicher sein. Die Entscheidung über die neue Parteispitze treffen die Delegierten der Grünen an ihrer Versammlung am 6. April 2024.
Nach Angaben der Partei ist das normale Verfahren für die Präsidentschaftswahlen bereits im Gange. Der Parteivorstand wird am 17. November eine Findungskommission einsetzen und der Landesvorstand wird am 16. Dezember aus seinen Reihen eine Wahlkommission bilden. Auch eine Ko-Präsidentschaft ist im Gespräch.
Glättli wrote that he himself - as the best-elected Green National Councillor from Zurich - would continue to play a committed role in parliament. As a party, the Greens must put the failure behind them and make a new start.
©Keystone/SDA
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