André Simonazzi will not run for chancellor

Published: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 22:40

Updated At: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 22:43

Vice-Chancellor and Federal Council Speaker André Simonazzi will not be running to succeed Walter Thurnherr as Federal Chancellor. This was announced by SP member Simonazzi on Tuesday.

After careful personal consideration, he has come to the conclusion that a candidacy is not appropriate given the current political constellation. Simonazzi wrote this in a statement.

When asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency, the Federal Council spokesman explained that his chances of being elected Federal Chancellor were slim if the SP had two representatives in the Federal Council. He therefore did not want to enter into a fight unnecessarily. The election of the Federal Chancellor is also a political election.

In his statement, Simonazzi writes that he would have enjoyed using his skills in this new role to support the Federal Council and the institutions. Together with the SP, he has decided not to stand as a candidate to succeed Walter Thurnherr.

The current Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr announced his resignation at the end of this year in August. Thurnherr has been Federal Chancellor since the beginning of 2016 and is therefore Chief of Staff of the Federal Council. Together with Vice-Chancellors André Simonazzi and Viktor Rossi, he takes part in the weekly Federal Council meeting, has an advisory vote and can submit motions. Thurnherr is a member of the Center Party.

GLP and SVP with candidates, FDP not

So far, three candidates have been announced for the election of the new Federal Chancellor. The GLP has nominated the current Vice-Chancellor Viktor Rossi. Nathalie Goumaz from French-speaking Switzerland and Gabriel Lüchinger from German-speaking Switzerland are running for the SVP.

The People's Party is laying claim to Thurnherr's seat. It says that it is a tradition in Switzerland for the major parties to appoint the Federal Chancellor. It has never provided the Federal Chancellor before.

The FDP announced on Tuesday that it would not be putting forward a candidate. The Greens have also decided not to put forward a candidate. When asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday evening, the party stated that the office of Federal Chancellor was not a priority for them.

It is still unclear whether the center will make an election proposal. To date, one female chancellor and eight male chancellors have been members of the FDP. The former CVP and current centrist party has provided one female chancellor and three male chancellors, while the SP has provided one male chancellor.

Election on December 13

The United Federal Assembly will elect the new Federal Chancellor on December 13, when the Federal Council will also be elected for a further term of office.

As the parliamentary services announced on request, any citizen can stand for election as Federal Chancellor - as in the Federal Council elections. Candidacies can still be announced on the day of the election itself.

©Keystone/SDA

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