The Center Party has two official candidates for the Federal Council
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Listening: Centre Party duo to vie for Swiss ministerial job
Two candidates from the Centre Party have officially declared themselves in the running to take a vacant position in the seven-seat Swiss federal government.
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Die Mitte-Partei hat zwei offizielle Bundesratskandidaten
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St Gallen parliamentarian and Farmers’ Association President Markus Ritter and Zug cantonal councillor Martin Pfister have put their names forward.
The party was unable to find a female candidate to succeed Viola Amherd on the Federal Council. Amherd is stepping down as defence minister at the end of March.
The 57-year-old organic farmer, Markus Ritter, announced his candidacy last week. It was only on Monday morning, at the last minute, that the nomination of Martin Pfister from Zug was announced. Pfister, who is little known at federal level, is 61 years old and has been Zug’s Director of Health since 2016.
Ritter is considered the favourite in the race. He is President of the Swiss Farmers’ Union and is considered influential and well-connected in the Federal Palace.
However, if he is elected, he would be the second person from St Gallen in the national government alongside current finance minister Karin Keller-Sutter.
The election of Martin Pfister would only be the third time that a Zug citizen has been elected to the federal government. The last member of the Federal Council from Zug was Hans Hürlimann from 1974 to 1982.
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Markus Ritter enters race for seat in Swiss government
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Markus Ritter from the Centre Party has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd on the seven-seat Swiss government.
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