Member of Protestant People's Party and doctor seeks seat in National Council

Mathias Bürki of Zug is a member of the Protestant People’s Party (EVP) who is standing for election to the National Council this autumn. In an interview with a journalist of the Zuger Zeitung he outlined his reasons.

One main reason the 28-year-old father of one son gave was because the country needed young people who were aware of their political and social responsibilities and who were prepared get involved for their fellow human beings and the environment.

As to his three main priorities, as a doctor he said a well-functioning health system was essential, the current system needing adjustment, mentioning, too, how important it was to help prevent young people from becoming addicted (to alcohol and drugs). “And as we have no reserve planet we can move to, we need to take greater care of the environment and take a more sustainable approach to the limited amount of resources we have,” he said. Thirdly he wanted to be able to speak up for people who were not able to do so for themselves. “The strength of a society must always be judged on how well it treats its weakest members,” he said.

As to the elections this autumn, he realised his chances were limited, “Nevertheless, I believe, as I was taught when young, that nothing is impossible. You, the very people reading this article, could make the impossible possible by voting for me,” he said.

As to why people should vote for him personally, the former member of the EVP party’s board said that, in him, the people of Zug would be choosing an exceptionally communicative young politician bristling with ideas to represent them in parliament in Bern. “Furthermore, in times where there was increasing polarisation in politics, people who could build bridges and bring about compromises were very much needed,” he concluded.