Maja Riniker (FDP) from Aargau is the new highest-ranking woman in Switzerland
Published: Monday, Dec 2nd 2024, 17:20
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Aargau security politician Maja Riniker (FDP) is the new President of the National Council. The 46-year-old business economist and security politician has been a member of the National Council for five years.
With a brilliant result, the voters of Aargau confirmed Riniker from Suhr near Aarau for a second term in the National Council in October 2023. A year ago, 46-year-old Riniker was elected first Vice-President of the National Council.
On Monday, the election for the highest office in Switzerland took place as scheduled. Riniker was elected with 170 out of 184 valid votes. This is an above-average result.
"Cohesion through diversity"
The motto for her presidential year is "Cohesion through diversity". "For cohesion, it is important that people listen to each other well and make an effort to understand each other," Riniker said in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency before the election. It is important to her to understand the Council members from all language regions. "Switzerland is not just made up of the German-speaking part of Switzerland," she emphasizes, revealing that she has been attending a conversation course to improve her French since entering national politics.
She is looking forward to the many encounters, from ordinary citizens to presidents of parliaments from other countries. As President of the National Council, Riniker will be traveling to the opening of the World Expo in Osaka (Japan), where she will represent official Switzerland.
"Less of a party politician"
She wants to make her home canton of Aargau better known to national and international guests: "Aargau is a bit of a reflection of the diversity of Switzerland, because it is made up of different parts."
Riniker's political career began in the traditional way, as a member of the Suhr school council. She joined the Aargau cantonal parliament in 2014 and was elected to the National Council in 2019.
She can also imagine holding an executive office. "It's just never happened so far," she says. However, she doesn't see herself as a party president: "I'm primarily a politician, not a party politician."
"The two years of preparation were very valuable," says Riniker about her new role. As second and then first Vice-President, she took on various tasks and already stood in for her predecessor Eric Nussbaumer (SP/BL) in the Council leadership. "It's a challenge to keep the Council under control."
Politician with a gene for security
As a member of Aargau's Grand Council, Riniker was a member and President of the Public Security Commission. "The fact that my father was a militia officer and commander of a tank battalion certainly left its mark on me."
For the President of the Swiss Civil Protection Association, however, security is much more than the military and civil protection: "That children have a sidewalk to walk to school, that there is a safe working environment in Switzerland, that pensions are secure."
Riniker's greatest political successes - she is a member of the National Council's Security Policy Committee - include better alerting in the event of disasters through cell broadcasting and the fact that Ukraine can be indirectly supported thanks to tank deliveries to third countries. A motion by the passionate scout to extend youth leave from one to two weeks is currently being implemented.
Business economist, wife and mother
Riniker, who grew up in Lenzburg, started her career after completing a commercial apprenticeship at a bank. After further training as a business economist at the University of Applied Sciences, she worked in the healthcare sector, among other things.
Riniker and her husband, a doctor, have two daughters and a son aged between 13 and 17. "They are also interested in politics," she reported, "but actually, like all young people of that age, they want their parents to be as normal as possible." That's why she understands if the children don't like it when teachers mention their mother's political involvement in class.
Jogging, skiing, swimming, playing cards
Riniker is active in her free time. "Despite my busy schedule, I want to keep this up during my presidential year," she emphasizes, mentioning that she recently met a Federal Councillor who was also jogging while training early in the morning in Bern. Her favorite place to swim is in the Aare in Aarau. "Although, of course, the Aare in Bern also has its charm." In winter, she can be found skiing with her family and regularly plays cards with three good friends.
©Keystone/SDA
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