Why does Rita Fuhrer consider it unnecessary to have a woman in the Federal Council?

Rita Fuhrer, a 73-year-old former Zurich State Councillor, argues that the criterion of the most suitable person, regardless of gender, should prevail for the succession of Guy Parmelin. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung, he said: 'Those times are over - you just have to be the right person.' Fuhrer recalled that she was officially nominated by the UDC in 2000, receiving more votes than Roland Eberle in Parliament.

What was Rita Fuhrer's experience as a candidate in 2000?

In 2000, the UDC officially nominated Rita Fuhrer as a candidate for the Federal Council. During the vote in Parliament, he obtained more preferences than Roland Eberle, the party's second official candidate. However, the final choice rewarded Samuel Schmid. Fuhrer attributes the blocking of his election to the PS, the Greens and a non-partisan Bernese lobby that, according to his reconstruction, wanted to bring back its own representative in the executive.

How does Rita Fuhrer explain the rarity of female candidates?

Rita Fuhrer links the scarcity of female candidates to the family weight of the position of federal councillor. She explains that many women in Parliament and in the executive branch have children and give priority to offspring, while a member of the government barely sees the family on weekdays. She and her husband had three children who were not young when she held political office, and her husband took on many family duties supporting her, but she points out that this kind of support is not always possible.

No woman needed on the Federal Council

Di Redazione Frontaliere Ticino · Published on 4 October 2026

Rita Fuhrer, former Zurich State Councillor, comments on Federal Council succession

Rita Fuhrer: 'Those days are over: it simply has to be the most suitable person'

Context

TL;DR

Rita Fuhrer does not consider a woman necessary
The SVP nomination dates back to 2000
Samuel Schmid prevailed over Fuhrer and Roland Eberle
Fuhrer is 73 years old

Key facts

Person → Rita Fuhrer
Topic → Guy Parmelin's succession
Candidacy → SVP nomination in 2000
Outcome → Samuel Schmid
Experience → Zurich cantonal government from 1995 to 2010

Rita Fuhrer, a former member of Zurich's cantonal government and the only woman ever officially nominated by the SVP for the Federal Council, does not consider it necessary to choose a woman to succeed Guy Parmelin. She said this in an interview published today by the SonntagsZeitung.

«Those days are over: it simply has to be the most suitable person», says the 73-year-old.

The politician bases her position on a simple criterion: the succession should go to the person best suited. She says a Federal Council without women would not be a problem for her, and adds that there could even be a female majority later. However, she has never wanted to obtain a position simply because she is a woman.

The 2000 candidacy

Fuhrer rejects the idea that the SVP is responsible for the absence of an SVP woman in government. She recalls that in 2000 the party officially nominated her and that she received more votes in Parliament than Roland Eberle, the second official candidate. The final choice, however, favored Samuel Schmid.

According to her account, she received support within the party and among the bourgeois parties, all the way to the centre of the CVP. She attributes the blocking of her election above all to the SP and the Greens, and cites the nonpartisan Bern lobby that, in her view, wanted to bring one of its own representatives back into the executive. She explains the left's position by her political line, which was considered too close to the SVP: during hearings with the other parties, she made no promises consistent with their positions. According to her account, at the time, a candidate who was not too rigid in representing their party mattered more than electing a woman.

Family and office

Fuhrer also links the rarity of female candidacies to the family demands of the office. She says that many women in Parliament and executive bodies have children and give them top priority, while a Federal Councillor barely sees their family on most weekdays. She and her husband already had three children who were no longer very young; her husband took on many family responsibilities and supported her, but that is not always possible. The source also presents her as a keen cyclist. The calcolatore stipendio remains a separate tool: it does not decide which candidacy is most suitable.

Operational details

The selection criterion at the center

Fuhrer's statement does not present a new rule for the Federal Council. The text reports a personal position expressed in an interview about the succession to Guy Parmelin. For the reader, the implication therefore lies above all in how to assess a future political choice, not in a procedure to be followed.

Four levels to distinguish

Table 1: Level
Level	What emerges	Cautious reading
Criterion	The most suitable person	Gender is not a condition set by Fuhrer
Representation	No problem without women	Fuhrer herself admits a possible female majority later
Candidacy	Official UDC nomination in 2000	A formal candidacy does not coincide with the final choice
Family	The office leaves little room for family	Family support may be decisive, but it is not always possible

The reconstruction of 2000 shows that, in Fuhrer's account, selection does not depend solely on the presence of a female candidate. Her account includes the political line, the availability of the other parties and regional support. However, these are explanations attributed to her: the source does not present them as an independent reconstruction of the parliamentary vote.

This distinction also matters for reading the news headline correctly. Saying that she would have no problem with a Federal Council without women does not amount to claiming that women's presence is irrelevant. Fuhrer rather says that she does not want to claim an office exclusively on the basis of gender and prefers the criterion of the most suitable person.

The passage about family adds a concrete dimension to the discussion. The politician describes an office that, on most weekdays, reduces the time available for family members. Her personal experience, with three children and a very involved husband, is used to explain why the candidacy is not an equal choice for everyone. A calcolatore stipendio does not replace this analysis: here the discussion is not about a figure, but about the political criterion for an appointment.

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Key points

How to follow the story

The source enables the reader to build a simple framework for following the succession to Guy Parmelin without turning a personal statement into a decision already made. The method starts from the reported facts and keeps Fuhrer's assessments separate.

Four useful steps

1. Define the subject. The question concerns the person to be chosen as successor and the role gender should play in the selection. It does not concern an administrative change already described in the source.

2. Separate candidacy and outcome. The official candidacy in 2000, the votes Fuhrer received compared with Roland Eberle, and the choice of Samuel Schmid are distinct steps. Keeping them separate avoids confusing the support received with the final election.

3. Attribute the explanations. The reference to the SP, the Greens and the Bern lobby belongs to Fuhrer's account. It should therefore be read as her interpretation of the reasons why she did not become a Federal Councillor, not as a statement by the other parties.

4. Consider the family dimension. The role, according to Fuhrer, leaves barely any room for family on most weekdays. Her experience with three children and her husband's support explains her position, without turning it into a rule valid for every candidate, female or male.

After these steps, any new statements can be compared with the criterion indicated by Fuhrer: choosing the most suitable person. The reader can thus distinguish a position on the principle, the account of a past candidacy and the actual outcome of that matter.

This approach also avoids attributing to the statement an effect that the source does not describe. The news concerns a national political discussion about the composition of the Federal Council and the selection criteria, while the family-related part shows the personal side of the candidacy. To complete your reading with a practical tool concerning income, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Rita Fuhrer consider it unnecessary to have a woman in the Federal Council?: Rita Fuhrer, a 73-year-old former Zurich State Councillor, argues that the criterion of the most suitable person, regardless of gender, should prevail for the succession of Guy Parmelin. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung, he said: 'Those times are over - you just have to be the right person.' Fuhrer recalled that she was officially nominated by the UDC in 2000, receiving more votes than Roland Eberle in Parliament.
What was Rita Fuhrer's experience as a candidate in 2000?: In 2000, the UDC officially nominated Rita Fuhrer as a candidate for the Federal Council. During the vote in Parliament, he obtained more preferences than Roland Eberle, the party's second official candidate. However, the final choice rewarded Samuel Schmid. Fuhrer attributes the blocking of his election to the PS, the Greens and a non-partisan Bernese lobby that, according to his reconstruction, wanted to bring back its own representative in the executive.
How does Rita Fuhrer explain the rarity of female candidates?: Rita Fuhrer links the scarcity of female candidates to the family weight of the position of federal councillor. She explains that many women in Parliament and in the executive branch have children and give priority to offspring, while a member of the government barely sees the family on weekdays. She and her husband had three children who were not young when she held political office, and her husband took on many family duties supporting her, but she points out that this kind of support is not always possible.