Natalie Rickli rejects the Federal Council, remains in Zurich

Context

TL;DR

• Natalie Rickli withdraws her bid for a seat on the Federal Council
• Zurich needs a stable cantonal government
• Parmelin's successor will be elected on December 9
• Taking office is scheduled for January 1

Key facts

• Who → Natalie Rickli
• Decision → withdrawal of candidacy
• Party → Swiss People's Party
• Canton → Zurich
• Cantonal elections → April 2027
• SVP candidacies → by October 23 at 12.00
• Federal election → December 9
• Taking office → January 1st

On Monday, Natalie Rickli, a Zurich State Councillor from the Swiss People's Party (SVP), announced through her social media channels that she did not wish to stand for the Federal Council seat left vacant following Guy Parmelin's resignation. With this withdrawal, she is ending her bid for Bern and will continue to serve in the cantonal government of Zurich.

Rickli was among the leading names considered to succeed him, thanks to a profile combining previous experience in the National Council with a term in the cantonal executive. Her name had been mentioned in the press in recent weeks, but the State Councillor chose to remain committed to local institutions.

In her message, Rickli thanked people for the many positive messages and the feedback she had received from the public. She described being considered for the federal office as a great honor and praised the excellent work done by Parmelin. She also acknowledged that representation of the Canton of Zurich on the Federal Council would be justified and important.

Zurich's rationale

However, the main reason for the withdrawal concerns the canton's political stability. Rickli linked her decision to the situation of the Zurich executive and the upcoming cantonal elections, scheduled for April 2027. Only three of the seven current members of the government intend to stand again.

According to Rickli, the Canton of Zurich, the most populous, currently needs a stable government.

The State Councillor therefore said she wanted to fulfill her responsibilities in the canton. She said she greatly enjoyed her role and wanted to continue working with passion and dedication for the people of Zurich. In her announcement, she also thanked the cantonal section of the SVP, which had supported her and officially invited her to stand for the Federal Council.

The withdrawal concerns more than Rickli's personal prospects. Her announcement leaves the selection of the SVP ticket for Parmelin's seat open, while her continued presence in Zurich's cantonal executive is confirmed at a time that the councillor herself described as requiring institutional continuity.

Operational details

From the cantonal selection to the federal ticket

Natalie Rickli's decision falls within an already established selection timetable for the succession to Guy Parmelin. The process first involves the cantonal sections of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), then the search committee, the parliamentary group and finally the Federal Assembly. The dates reported by the source make it possible to distinguish the stages without confusing an internal party candidacy with the federal election.

The cantonal sections must submit the candidacies to the search committee by noon on October 23. By November 13, the committee will have to submit its proposal to the parliamentary group leadership; on November 20, it should be up to the SVP group in the Federal Chambers to determine which names to include on the ticket. The final decision will rest with the Federal Assembly on December 9, while the successor will take office on January 1.

Comparison with the withdrawal in Schwyz

On the same Monday on which Rickli announced her withdrawal, Schwyz State Councillor André Rüegsegger also announced that he did not want to run for a seat in the government. Rüegsegger is 50 years old and heads the Department of Construction. He attributed his withdrawal to personal and professional reasons and explained that he would focus on cantonal politics and on projects already under way, as well as on those still to be completed.

The reasons given by the two State Councillors do not coincide. Rickli placed the stability of Zurich's government at the center, while Rüegsegger cited personal and professional reasons. For both, however, the stated outlook remains cantonal. Rüegsegger also clarified that becoming a Federal Councillor had never been among his goals and that consideration of the candidacy had been prompted by the party's cantonal section.

The comparison thus shows two withdrawals that emerged in different cantonal governments, but were announced on the same day and oriented toward continuing their work in their respective cantons. The federal selection now continues with other names already announced, interested or considered possible by the source.

Key points

The names and the female precedent

Among the candidacies already put forward is that of Geneva National Councillor Céline Amaudruz, announced the previous week. Her presence is part of a particular history for the UDC: the party has never had a woman on the Federal Council.

One precedent is that of Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, who at the time was a State Councillor of the Canton of Graubünden. In December 2007, she was elected to the federal executive despite not having been officially included among the candidates. In 2008, she had to change parties and joined the Conservative Democratic Party, which had just been established.

The candidacies still to be clarified

Another pending decision is that of Fribourg native Nicolas Kolly. He is 40, has sat on the National Council since 2023 and has said he is interested in a candidacy. He has announced that he will make his decision known shortly. Kolly is a member of the UDC group's executive committee and focuses in particular on agriculture and relations with the European Union.

The source also mentions Bernese State Councillor Pierre Alain Schnegg and Valais State Councillor Franz Ruppen as possible candidates. Among the National Councillors, it names Thomas Aeschi of the Canton of Zug, Thomas Matter of the Canton of Zurich and Franz Grüter of the Canton of Lucerne. All these names are expected to clarify their positions in the coming days.

The picture therefore remains open: Amaudruz has announced her candidacy, Kolly has expressed interest but still has to decide, while the other names are presented as possible candidates. The source does not yet indicate the final composition of the UDC ticket and does not anticipate the outcome of the election on 9 December.

The transition from an internal candidacy to the Federal Assembly's choice is therefore still to be completed. What has already been documented, however, are the deadline for submitting candidacies, the subsequent stages of the selection process and the scheduled date for the election of Parmelin's successor. Politically, Rickli's withdrawal represents the departure of one of the most frequently mentioned profiles; at cantonal level, it confirms her intention to continue her mandate in Zurich.

Source: rsi.ch