Current members of the National Council are too concerned with the here and now - says deputy leader of FDP party of Zug

It was reported earlier this week that some 30 per cent of people in the canton of Zug had already voted in the elections which take place on Sunday. No fewer than 75 candidates from the canton are looking to a seat in Bern.

Walchwil-resident Patrick Mollet is deputy leader of the FDP party of Zug who is standing for a seat in the National Council. One reason he gives is because he feels current parliamentarians there are too concerned about the here-and-now rather than looking to the future.

What he wants to do, as he explained to a journalist of the Zuger Zeitung, is to bring his entrepreneurial flair, his assertiveness and knowledge to take the canton of Zug, and indeed Switzerland, further.

As to the three core issues he felt were most important, he mentioned technology and innovation, which he considered to be the basis of the country’s prosperity. “It is thanks to investments in such progress that we can overcome social and ecological obstacles,” he said. Secondly, he said he wanted to live in a tolerant and cosmopolitan society, one in which every individual took responsibility for his own actions “and this includes putting care for old age on a solid financial footing”. “Thirdly, only in investing in education and life-long learning can we be prepared for the world of work of the future. Furthermore, it is essential people are able to combine a job with family life to ensure there is real equality and diversity,” he said.

As to his chances of being elected, he felt sure the FDP’s current seat in the National Council would be able to be defended and he looked forward to his name on the list gaining the most votes to ensure his party would still be able to represent Zug in Bern.

As to why people should vote for him in particular, the 42-year-old said that he was very much a doer who could get things moving and in so doing bring different generations and positions together with great empathy.