SVP Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer will resign from his office at the end of the year. He announced this on Friday afternoon at a press conference called at short notice. The 71-year-old has been a member of the state government since 2009, first as head of the defense department and since 2016 as finance minister.
Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer.
With the announced resignation, the search for a successor begins at the SVP. The cantonal sections are required to submit their proposals to the selection committee chaired by former National Councilor Caspar Baader. The commission will hear the candidates and propose a shortlist to the SVP parliamentary group. Finally, the faction then determines who to nominate.
The right of the largest party to two seats in the Federal Council is undisputed. It will be interesting to see which candidates she will propose to the councils. There are many SVP parliamentarians who are said to have ambitions for the Federal Council. Among them the Bernese Albert Rösti and Werner Salzmann or the Schaffhausen Thomas Hurter and Hannes Germann. SVP will certainly also enter the race with a woman. Esther Friedli (St. Gallen), Monika Rüegger (Obwalden) or Magdalena Martullo-Blocher (Graubünden) are among the most frequently mentioned names.
More to come. . .