Aargau elections: SVP wants to defend second seat in government
Published: Sunday, Oct 20th 2024, 04:40
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In the canton of Aargau, the cantonal government and the Grand Council will be newly elected this Sunday. Four incumbent councillors are standing for re-election. There is a battle for the vacant second SVP government seat: SVP, GLP and Greens are running. Voters are likely to confirm the conservative majority in parliament.
Four of the five government councillors are standing for re-election. These are Director of Finance Markus Dieth (center), Director of Construction Stephan Attiger (FDP), Director of Health Jean-Pierre Gallati (SVP) and Director of Justice Dieter Egli (SP). They are between 54 and 58 years old. Since the election four years ago, only men have been members of the government.
Battle for second SVP government seat
The parties are focusing on the second vacant SVP seat. The party with by far the most voters wants to defend the seat of Education Director Alex Hürzeler, who is stepping down after 16 years in office.
The 40-year-old SVP National Councillor Martina Bircher is supposed to fix it. Bircher takes a hard line on asylum and social policy. During the election campaign, the deputy mayor of Aarburg sought the political center on education and economic issues.
GLP wants to win government seat for the first time
The Green Liberals want to win a government seat for the first time with 59-year-old National Councillor Beat Flach. His chances of election are considered intact; he is politically slightly left of center.
The Greens have a woman in the race. 53-year-old Ruth Müri, a member of the Grand Council and city councillor in Baden, is set to win back the seat that went to the SVP in 2016 following the resignation of Susanne Hochuli.
Seven candidates are also standing as outsiders - including three young women from the Young Socialists. It is possible that the fifth seat will only be allocated in the second round of voting.
Civic majority in parliament
There could be shifts within the political camps in the election of the 140 members of the Grand Council, which is dominated by the middle classes. The six parties divide the seats as follows: SVP 43, SP 23, FDP 21, Center 18, Greens 14, GLP 13, EVP 6 and EDU 2.
The GLP and the Greens were the winners in 2019. The center made slight gains. The SP was the biggest loser, followed by the SVP and FDP. In the National Council elections in autumn 2023, the SVP gained ground again, while the Greens lost significantly and the centrists and FDP lost slightly. The SP and GLP held their ground.
No list combination permitted
All parties stand alone. It is not possible to combine lists. Since 2009, Aargau has used the "Doppelter Pukelsheim" electoral system. This means that the voter shares of the parties in the entire canton are calculated first. In a second step, the seats won by each party are distributed among the eleven districts.
Around 433,000 Swiss citizens are eligible to vote in the canton of Aargau. The State Chancellery announces the first election results for Sunday lunchtime.
©Keystone/SDA
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