Guy Parmelin's successor in the Federal Council: Even the Swiss State Councillor André Rüegsegger says no - Overview of the candidates

Guy Parmelin's succession in the Federal Council: Even the Swiss government councilor André Rüegsegger says no – An overview of the candidates The most promising candidates position themselves in the Swiss People's Party. The candidate carousel. The end of a Federal Council is the beginning of speculation: Who could succeed him? For the SVP, the choice is strategically decisive. This raises the question of whether they want to secure their second seat with a Wallachian candidate to not be primarily perceived as the party of German-speaking Switzerland. It is certain: the SVP will look for suitable persons for the Justice and Police Department and the Department of Defence, as they announced in a communiqué. Consequently, the party expects either Beat Jans or Martin Pfister to switch to the Department of Economy. The SVP has set up an investigation committee chaired by the former faction president and National Councillor Caspar Baader. The cantonal parties of the committee can submit their candidates by October 23rd. The nomination of the candidates will take place on November 20th. They have announced their candidates: The Vice-President from Romandy Céline Amaudruz, National Councillor GE, 47 years old The Genevan National Councillor is considered a potential candidate, the favorite from Romandy for some time. Amaudruz, asset manager at a private bank and a National Councillor since 2011, is considered a "diligent and loyal" Vice-President of the SVP Switzerland ("Tribune de Genève"). Accordingly, she is tightly political in her line. She makes exceptions in social policy matters, such as "marriage for all" or paternity leave. Some attest that this puts her in a difficult position for the official SVP ticket. In fact, she does not seem to enjoy full support in the faction. Others see greater chances of election in the Federal Assembly. She might recall an old anecdote: in 2016, she was stopped by the Geneva police at 1.92‰ speed. She first tried to reach the Geneva public prosecutor, then, very early in the morning, Guy Parmelin. Not the Federal Councillor Parmelin, she made her request through her lawyer and Geneva National Councillor Christian Lüscher, but to her good friend Guy: "In a moment of despair, she sought advice from someone close to her." And yet, no one from Romandy is likely to come before Amaudruz currently. From potential candidates from Romandy, it means that no one should stand in her way. Should she follow Parmelin, the circle closes: in 2015 she lobbied for his candidacy, practiced hearings, and she is said to have even chosen his tie. Now his resignation could pave the way for her. Here is an in-depth portrait of Céline Amaudruz: Among the highly discussed candidates are: The favorite of the party leadership Pascal Schmid, National Councillor TG, 50 years old His rise in the SVP was rapid: hardly elected to the National Council, Pascal Schmid immediately became asylum chief. In this role, he replaced Andreas Glarner, who was also considered an "unguided missile" within the party. Schmid, however, has earned an excellent reputation in the party's leadership circles. He is independent and dossier-oriented, sharp yet "suitable for a mother-in-law." He knows all the figures on the asylum system and presents them not polemically, but clinically. His wife says he is a "well-organized head of a person." Since Schmid has been in the National Council, he has criticized a lot and demanded things, such as an "expulsion task force" – as a conciliatory compromise finder, he has left no major traces so far. Schmid has great experience as a lawyer: at the age of 32, he became president of the District Court in Weinfelden, he led, for example, the sensational trial against the former Velostar Jan Ullrich. He has been a lawyer for twelve years. As a politician, he has relatively little experience: he was a councilor in the canton of Thurgau until he was elected to the National Council in 2023. His chances of election seem greater in the SVP than in the Federal Assembly. And: Schmid has recently announced that he wants to run for the Council of States in 2027. The surprise guest Sylvain Freymond, National Councillor VD, 42 years old There are these names, which hardly anyone thinks of beforehand. For example, Guy Parmelin himself: who would have believed the "alibi candidate" (so did almost everyone) had chances back then? Representing many others – such as the Vaudian Yvan Pahud or Nicolas Kolly from Fribourg – Sylvain Freymond is to be named as a surprise guest here. The name at least circulates in certain circles. His ambitions as well. Freymond has succeeded in everything so far. And he succeeded quickly: in 2017, he immediately got an additional seat for the SVP in the Vaud Cantonal Council. In 2023, he repeated the exploit with his surprising election to the National Council. Most surprising was himself: "When the final results were announced, I was just milking my cows," he said to "Le Temps." Freymond also said: "I have always been firmly on the ground, and nothing will change now." Whether he becomes Federal Councillor or not. Those who have definitely been removed from the race are: André Rüegsegger, Government Councilor SZ, 50 years old André Rüeggsegger was put up for the race as a possible successor to Guy Parmelin by his cantonal party. Rüegsegger was considered an "meticulous and enormously diligent shaffer," who is attested to have great dossier knowledge beyond party lines, argued the SVP Schwyz for his nomination on October 6th. Rüegsegger did not comment for almost two weeks. And then he said no. The office of Federal Councillor had never belonged to "his personal goals," Rüegsegger explained the refusal. He preferred to concentrate on cantonal politics. Rüegsegger has been a member of the Swiss Government Council since 2012. Before that, he served as a cantonal councillor from 2008 to 2012 and as faction president of the SVP Canton Schwyz as well as a member of the council management from 2010 to 2012. His political career began in 1996 in various commissions of the municipality of Ingenbohl. You can find an article about the unusual nomination of André Rüeggsegger here: Natalie Rickli, Government Councilor ZH, 49 years old She would have been the logical successor to Ueli Maurer when he resigned from the Federal Council in 2022: a Zurich resident and a representative of the Zurich SVP wing, commercial training in the expanded agricultural environment (at Fenaco), and then a steep political career. In 2007, Rickli was elected to the National Council as a 30-year-old, where she made a name for herself as a media politician. Numerous Tele-Zurich appearances contributed to her popularity. In 2019, she became Government Councilor of the Canton of Zurich, where she heads the health department. She is considered a very image-conscious but assertive Government Councilor. She recently considered a candidacy for the Council of States but ultimately said no. She also did not want to be the successor to Ueli Maurer. Now she does not want to be the successor to Guy Parmelin either, as she explained in an interview. Esther Friedli, Council of States SG, 49 years old She was among the most prominent names who renounced a candidacy for the succession of Ueli Maurer in 2022. Surprisingly, it was not necessarily the renunciation (she aimed for the available seat in the Council of States), but that Esther Friedli was only three years in the National Council at that time. Friedli is regarded as conciliatory in tone and tough in substance. A recipe that made her electable far beyond her party base: after almost four years in the National Council, the native Bernese Friedli was elected to the Council of States in the spring of 2023 after the resignation of St. Gallen elder Paul Rechsteiner – with a voter share significantly higher than that of the already strong SVP (in St. Gallen). But Friedli has a problem: With Karin Keller-Sutter, the canton of St. Gallen is already represented in the Federal Council. The cantonal clause is long gone, yet dual representation remains the exception: only Zurich (between 2004 and 2007 with Christoph Blocher and Moritz Leuenberger) and Bern (between 2010 and 2018 with Simonetta Sommaruga and Johann Schneider-Ammann) have managed this feat since 1999. Now she tells a portal called "Toggenburg 24" that she would rather concentrate on her office as a member of the Council of States – and Toni Brunner, with whom she runs the restaurant zu Sonne in Ebnat-Kappel. There is little time left for the state government. Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, National Councillor GR, 57 years old As a multi-billionaire and dossier head in the fight against the EU treaties, Magdalena Martullo-Blocher is a logical candidate from the SVP for the Federal Council – and at the same time unlikely. That she leaves the Ems chemistry, which she has successfully led for years, is considered unlikely. She would have to feel a strong Blocher mandate. Especially since it is in Federal Bern that she prioritizes politics less than her father Christoph Blocher did during his active period. It is legendary how often she is represented in the important economic commission: because she is committed as an entrepreneur. In addition, Martullo-Blocher herself knows best: her chances of election in the Federal Assembly would be small, she is feared both because of her power and because of her sometimes somewhat boisterous style in parliament. Perhaps that is why she removed herself from the race early on. On the evening of Parmelin's resignation, she said in the news program Arena: She is not running, but she is convinced that someone good can be found. Marcel Dettling, National Councillor SZ, 45 years old In early October, the party president, Marcel Dettling, also announced his renunciation of a Federal Council candidacy. Dettling told the newspapers from CH Media: "My job is to lead the party." He wants to use his strength for the fight against the EU treaties. That sounds congruent. Dettling already said in 2025 in an interview with the NZZ on Sunday: "There will never be a Federal Council Dettling."