Bern,20.11.2017

Thomas Aeschi elected leader of SVP parliamentary party

Thomas Aeschi, who represents Zug in the National Council in Bern, fought off opposition from two other contenders and was duly elected leader of the SVP parliamentary party on Friday.
 
What was surprising was that fellow contender, Alfred Heer of Zurich, withdrew his candidature at the last minute, opting to support Aeschi, who went on to defeat the other candidate, Werner Salzmann of Bern, by 39 votes to 20. While there are 74 members of the SVP parliamentary party, only 59 were present.
 
The election was brought about by the decision of the previous leader of the SVP parliamentary party, Adrian Amstutz, to resign.
 
Following his election, Aeschi, a 38-year-old economist who holds an MPA (master’s degree in public administration) from Harvard, announced he would not be making any changes in relation to how the party was led. “Our targets remain the same,” he said as he looked forward to good cooperation with the other centrist parties as well as maintaining the unity of the SVP party.
 
By coincidence, the FDP also elected a new leader of the its parliamentary party, Beat Walti of Zurich, the sole candidate, taking over from Ignazio Cassis. Walti and Aeschi know each other well as they both sit on the Economics Committee.
 
The canton of Zug will now have two politicians holding high political office in Bern, as, in addition to Aeschi being elected leader of the SVP parliamentary party, fellow member of the National Council to represent Zug, Gerhard Pfister, was elected leader of the national CVP party last year.
 
Among party colleagues, Aeschi is known not only for his sharp intellect, but his sharp tongue.