Zug,30.07.2014

List of candidates standing in council elections now complete

Last Monday saw the closing date for the handing in of nominations for candidates in the council elections which are to take place in the canton on Sunday 5 October. These are now being checked to see if all they meet all the legal requirements.
 
This year the executive seats will be elected by majority vote for the first time. This has already had an effect on the number of candidates; whereas 142 stood in 2010, the figure this year is just 85.
 
What is interesting this year is that in Hünenberg only five candidates only are standing for the five seats, all of them current council members. For this reason a "tacit election" procedure comes in to effect, which means there will be no election at all. The situation is the same in Unterägeri, too.
 
As for Cham, seven people will be competing for seats on the council including four who have not been previously elected. These include Christine Blättler-Müller of the CVP party, the only woman standing. What will be interesting here is who will be elected mayor as the current incumbent Bruno Meyer steps down.
 
As to Risch, now that Marianne Schmid will not be standing, no woman will be represented on the council as all seven candidates are men.
 
On the other hand, one woman, a member of the CVP party, will be standing for election in Oberägeri.
 
What is interesting in Steinhausen is that two independent candidates will be standing. One of these is John Stutzer, who is hoping to take over from current mayoress Barbara Hofstetter of the CVP party.
 
Another independent, Rolf Gisler, will be standing as the ninth candidate in Neuheim. What is expected to be particularly interesting here is who of the three mayoral candidates, Roger Bossart of the FDP party, Franz Keiser (independent), or Richard Schubnell will succeed.
 
In Walchwil nine candidates will be competing for five seats. It will be seen here who is elected to replace Peter Roth, who died in a tragic accident in April this year.
 
All current members of Baar council will be standing again, though Alois Gössi of the SP party will be doing his best to knock at least one of these out. It is thought Andreas Hotz will hold on to his mayoral seat.
 
Battling it out in Menzingen will be Peter Dittli of the FDP party and Susan Staub-Matti of the CVP party, who have both set their sights on becoming mayor.
 
No fewer than ten candidates will be competing for the five seats available in the core city council of Zug. All previous members will be standing except Andreas Bossard. The head of the city's planning office, André Wicki of the SVP party, is hoping to replace Dolfi Müller of the SP party as mayor.
 
As for the greater city council, on which there are 40 seats, 117 candidates will be standing, the same amount as four years ago.