Thomas Aeschi declares SVP bid for Federal Council seat left by Guy Parmelin

Aeschi enters the race

Thomas Aeschi, a 47-year-old National Councillor from Zug and leader of the SVP parliamentary group, has confirmed that he wants to succeed Guy Parmelin on the Federal Council. Parmelin is stepping down, and his replacement will be elected on 9 December. Aeschi made the announcement in interviews with SonntagsBlick and Schweiz heute published on 8 November. His Zug party had already nominated him on the last day of the deadline in October, but he had kept his own decision open until now. He said he wanted time to discuss the choice with his family, friends, group members and representatives of other parties, and he has not discussed the bid with former Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher.

“I am convinced that I have acquired the necessary skills for this government office.”

A crowded SVP field

The SVP is putting eight candidates into the race for Parmelin's seat. Besides Aeschi, they are Marco Chiesa, Pierre Alain Schnegg, Jean-Pierre Gallati, Rémy Wyssmann, Franz Ruppen, Michael Graber and Céline Amaudruz. Pascal Schmid, once seen as the favourite of the party leadership, declined after Esther Friedli and Natalie Rickli had already said no. Amaudruz, a Geneva National Councillor, was the first to declare and argued that a ticket without a candidate from French-speaking Switzerland would be a humiliation for the region. Her chances are now seen as shrinking, partly because she does not enjoy the strongest standing in her own parliamentary group. On Saturday, 7 November, the party's search committee had already questioned Aeschi, and SVP National Councillor Benjamin Fischer described him as absolutely capable.

Priorities if elected

Aeschi says his focus would be domestic politics, above all the Justice and Police Department, which Beat Jans of the Social Democrats currently runs. He points to asylum and migration problems that he describes as still very large, and to cantons that say they are being ignored, though he adds that he would be pleased with any department. In his view the biggest challenges are safeguarding Swiss sovereignty and protecting direct democracy. He calls the EU package of agreements a "monster treaty" and criticises the postponement of some accords as dishonest. Asked about the step from parliament to government, he rejects the idea that his lack of executive experience is a drawback, pointing to Parmelin and Albert Rösti, who also came directly from parliament.

He frames the EU dispute as a basic question of power.

“Who decides in Switzerland? Us, or the EU Commission and the EU Court of Justice?”

Timeline to the vote

Aeschi's first bid came in 2015, when he lost the Federal Council election to Parmelin. He cites his 15 years in the National Council and nine years as group leader as preparation for the post. Hannes Germann and Martin Haab have publicly backed him. The SVP parliamentary group will choose its ticket on 20 November, and the Federal Assembly holds the by-election on 9 December.