Regula Rytz, Green Party president, after meeting with her party to decide on her candidature for the cabinet
Keystone / Marcel Bieri
Green Party President Regula Rytz has been nominated to run for a seat in the seven-member Swiss government, challenging the current party-political make-up of the cabinet.
The Green Party parliamentary group announced on Friday they wanted to boost a sustainable policy at a government level and ensure that the global climate challenges are tackled.
The move comes after the party’s historic gains in the parliamentary elections on October 20, in which the left-wing party won 13% of the vote for the House of Representatives – up nearly 6% on 2015 and their best result ever. The centrist Liberal Greens also increased their share of the vote to 7.9% from 4.6%.
Inevitably the results had led to thoughts of a reshuffle of the multi-party government. On Thursday, Rytz on put an end to the speculation saying she was ready to enter the race, meeting widespread expectations following the success in the parliamentary elections.
Cabinet seat target?
She is expected to target primarily the seat of the foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, who is from the centre-right Radical Party, although the Green party did not name names, just the party, on Friday.
Cassis, who has been in the cabinet for two years, has already said that he wants to stay in his cabinet role. The minister has been quite outspoken, for example saying that United Nations’ aid work was hindering the Middle East peace process. This has caused criticism within Switzerland.
Even if there is some legitimacy to the Greens’ demand for a place on the cabinet, there is no urgency to it, say some parties.
In Switzerland, there is no tradition of removing or deselecting existing cabinet members. Following the elections, parliament is now centre-left, but the government leans to the right. The election of the new government will take place on December 11.
More
More
Will the Greens go for a government seat?
This content was published on
Regula Rytz, Green Party president, on whether her party’s historic gains in the parliamentary elections should result in a government seat.
This content was published on
Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
This content was published on
Green, female and progressive were the headlines from this election. What does this historic vote mean for Switzerland going forward?
This content was published on
The Green Party is considering launching a people’s initiative after parliament rejected plans for a tax on plane tickets.
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis aims to strengthen Switzerland’s sense of identity in the wider world, as he told swissinfo.ch.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.