Céline Amaudruz, a vice-president of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) and a member of Switzerland’s lower house, announced on Thursday that she would seek to succeed Guy Parmelin on the Federal Council, the country’s seven-member executive. The Geneva politician stressed the importance of keeping a French-speaking representative among her party’s ministers.
Ms Amaudruz stands out in a party whose National Council delegation elected in 2023 was four-fifths male. The UDC also draws stronger support from men: 30% of male voters backed it in 2023, compared with 24% of women. Its stronghold is German-speaking Switzerland, where it won 31% of the vote, far ahead of its rivals. In French-speaking Switzerland, it took 20%, trailing the Socialist Party and narrowly beating the Liberals (PLR/FDP).
Under Switzerland’s “magic formula”, an unwritten agreement to share power, the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the Socialist Party and the Liberals each hold two seats on the Federal Council; the Centre holds one. Mr Parmelin’s successor would therefore normally come from his own Swiss People’s Party, preserving that balance.
Mr Parmelin, 66, announced his resignation on October 2nd. He will leave office on December 31st 2026, at the end of his second term as Switzerland’s rotating president. After 11 years in government, he said, his enthusiasm had faded and he wanted to make room for fresh energy. His original passion for the job no longer burned as strongly, he told RTS. He told the broadcaster that he had reached his decision after taking stock over the summer.
Ms Amaudruz, 47, is the first candidate to put herself forward to replace him. A member of parliament since 2011, she has long been one of the most prominent French-speaking figures in Switzerland’s largest party.
“My decision is carefully considered. I took it after speaking to my husband, those close to me and my party’s leaders,” she told reporters.
She said she was ready to serve the country, and that Switzerland and its people are close to her heart. She wanted a country that was economically and socially strong, open, sovereign and safe. In government, she would speak for French-speaking Switzerland, particularly on transport and crime.
She declined to say which ministry she would prefer to lead. “I am standing for the Federal Council, not for a particular department,” she said, though she acknowledged having preferences.
Her prospective candidacy had attracted considerable interest in Geneva, which has had no representative in the Federal Council since Micheline Calmy-Rey left in 2011.
Ms Amaudruz said the absence of a French-speaking federal councillor from the Swiss People’s Party would pose a problem for the party. Its shortlist, she argued, should include at least one French-speaking candidate.
If elected as the UDC’s official nominee, she would be the first woman to enter the Federal Council with the party’s backing, bringing the number of women in the seven-member government to three.
Esther Friedli, a member of the upper house from St Gallen, has ruled herself out. Natalie Rickli, a member of Zurich’s cantonal government and a former national parliamentarian, remains a possible contender. Her decision is keenly awaited.
Two potential male candidates, Marcel Dettling, the party’s president, and Sylvain Freymond, a member of the lower house from Vaud, have also ruled themselves out.
Applications close at noon on October 23rd. The party’s parliamentary group will announce its final shortlist on November 20th. The election will take place on December 9th.
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