Lady of the Left to take on three gentlemen of the Right in fight for seat in parliament in Bern

The Alternative Green (ALG) Party has unanimously elected its co-leader, Tabea Zimmermann Gibson, as its candidate for election to the Council of States in Bern. She wants to see a Zug as a good place to live not just for those primarily concerned with their own finances.

It was at a meeting on Wednesday evening that the 49-year-old said she did not want to let the three other candidates, all men, stand without a fight, the three in question being the current incumbent in the Council of States and former cantonal director of finance, Peter Hegglin of the CVP party, Matthias Michel of the FDP party, who, until October last year, was the director of the Department of Economic Development, and who wants to defend the seat of Joachim Eder, also of the FDP party and, lastly, Heinz Tännler of the SVP party, the current director of finance, all three of whom, of course, have experience in being members of the cantonal government.

Esther Haas, also of the ALG, was convinced Zimmermann Gibson would be an excellent representative of Zug in Bern, not least as she has, for the most part, spent all her life here, apart from various times when abroad. Furthermore, she would bring with her much experience in a wide variety of jobs, bearing in mind she has worked in a kiosk, as a waitress, for a mail-order company and who now works as a teacher of English at the Alpenquai cantonal school in Lucerne. In addition to this she brings with her considerable political experience in her role as deputy leader of the greater council of the city of Zug, to which she was elected overwhelmingly, and as a cantonal parliamentarian. If elected, she would be the first woman to represent the canton of Zug in parliament in Bern.

She is also active as chairwoman of an orgisation which provides support to those who need it, not to mention the mother of twin sons.

As mentioned, she would like to see a Zug which is not just favourable to those who are interested primarily in lining their own pockets. “Those who already have a lot have enough,” she said, which is why she thought it was about time a voice of the Left was represented in the Council of States, rather than having one or more of the afore-mentioned triumvirate to represent the canton.

This article is based on one by Christopher Gilb.