The rise and rise of the new cabinet minister

Kurt Reichenbach für Schweizer Illustrierte

Uncontested in her election to the government, Doris Leuthard is keen to rebuild team spirit and promote dialogue among cabinet members.

The 43-year-old parliamentarian told swissinfo that internet voting and allowing Swiss nationals abroad to vote in federal elections are two other important issues.

“Swiss expatriates have a different slant on our political process and should be actively involved in decision-making – they are a real asset,” she said.

But for them to do so e-voting is indispensable, added the party president of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party.

“Switzerland is not a model country in this respect, so we need to speed things up,” she said.

“I hope that the latest report on online voting serves as the basis for a comprehensive electronic government strategy.”

Charm

The Christian Democrats put forward Leuthard as their sole candidate in the race for the cabinet post, forgetting that parties normally present a choice of nominees.

Leuthard, who succeeds cabinet minister Joseph Deiss on August 1, enjoys wide support among her party and the Swiss public.

Criticism of her lack of experience and unclear political profile has subsided and her attributes, such as her charisma and glamour, are not limited to the popular press.

Around 20 years younger than the other cabinet members, her appearance on the Swiss political scene matches her lifestyle: neat and tidy.

Leuthard grew up in a rural part of Switzerland between Zurich and Lucerne and feels very much at home in her garden, tending her vegetables and flowers, only a stone’s throw from where her parents live.

But as a trained lawyer, her rise through the political ranks has been rapid.

Sense of hope

Leuthard went into politics as a member of the Aargau cantonal parliament in 1997, without having to do her political time on the traditional communal circuit. She became a member of the House of Representatives in 1999.

In 2004 she was elected president of the Christian Democrats, who had suffered major setbacks following losses in the 2003 parliamentary elections and Ruth Metzler’s failure to be re-elected as cabinet minister.

Since then, Leuthard is credited with leading the Christian Democrats back to success in several cantonal and local elections.

Critics’ claims that the actual election results – which were not as great as the Christian Democrats have made out – have unmasked the whole thing as a PR exercise failed to stick in the run-up to the cabinet election.

Leuthard has managed to re-instil a sense of hope among Christian Democrats and reunite the party around her candidacy.

Catholic network

Leuthard comes from the Catholic part of canton Aargau. In 1999 she married the chemist Roland Hausin, after many years of living together.

As daughter of a centre-right cantonal politician growing up in Catholic circles, she was able to rely on a network of Christian Democrat friends even before she entered the world of politics.

At 26 she joined the law firm of Kurt Fricker, a former Christian Democrat cantonal parliamentarian, becoming a partner and remaining with the firm until now.

Leuthard responds to those who criticise her lack of experience by pointing out that she is head of a party which boasts several thousand members.

“When I became party president, many business leaders thought it was beyond me,” she said.

Open dialogue

Leuthard is a firm believer in the government sorting out problems and presenting a united front.

“People are tired of squabbling,” she added, in reference to the public fall-outs between cabinet members.

But in adopting her distinctive central role in Swiss politics, she has been accused of blowing with the wind. Her hard-line stance over asylum issues initially annoyed the Catholic Church, but they have since made up.

At a time when the world is becoming increasingly polarised, Leuthard says she stands for harmony and unity.

“My aim is to be equally open in my dialogue with the Swiss people, whether they live here or abroad,” she said.

swissinfo, Andreas Keiser

In brief

The Swiss cabinet is made up of seven members of the four main political parties.

The centre-left Social Democrats, the rightwing Swiss People’s Party and the centre-right Radicals hold two seats each.

The centre-right Christian Democrats have just one seat, after losing their second seat to the People’s Party in 2003.

Candidates are not elected to ministries but to the seven-member body that distributes portfolios according to the principle of seniority.

The post of Swiss president is mainly ceremonial and limited to a one-year term.

Key facts

Doris Leuthard was born in Merenschwand in canton Aargau in 1963.
She studied law at Zurich University.
She worked as a lawyer in Wohlen and Muri in canton Aargau.
She was elected a member of the Aargau cantonal parliament in 1997.
She became a member of the House of Representatives in 1999.
She was elected vice-president (2001) and president (2004) of the Christian Democrats.