Aargau Candidates Step Down in Favor of Binder
Published: Tuesday, Oct 24th 2023, 11:30
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In the canton of Aargau, Switzerland, three female candidates for the Ständerat have withdrawn from the second round of voting in order to prevent the election of the second-placed SVP-Nationalrat Benjamin Giezendanner. They are standing behind Marianne Binder-Keller (Mitte) in the hope that she will be elected to the Ständerat in the second round on November 19th. The first seat was won by the incumbent Ständerat and FDP-President Thierry Burkart. The other candidates failed to reach the absolute majority.
The three female candidates, Nationalrätinnen Irène Kälin (Grüne), Barbara Portmann (GLP) and Lilian Studer (EVP), have decided to make way for a female representative in the small chamber. They are convinced that their move will open the way for an Aargauer woman. They expect Binder-Keller to remember who made this possible.
The canton of Aargau will now face a two-way battle between Binder-Keller and Giezendanner, with the issue of gender representation playing a role. For the past four years, the canton has been represented by two men in the Ständerat.
©Keystone/SDA
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