Woman diplomat to stand for election to National Council

Christina Bürgi Dellsperger comes from Risch but spends much of her time in Paris where she works for the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs.

One of the reasons the 59-year-old with a doctorate in philosophy is standing for election is because, as a social democrat and a woman, she feels she is not represented by the current representatives there, namely predominantly middle-class men.

The diplomat already has experience in politics after being a member of the cantonal parliament between 2006 and 2008. If elected to Bern, she would speak out on issues close to her heart such as climate protection, social justice and equal opportunities for women in addition to appropriate funding for health and old age pensions.

“It is high time that one of the three seats available to Zug in the National Council is taken up by someone to the left of centre,” she insisted, mentioning how she thought her chances were good, bearing in mind the SP party has been putting the case for social causes and is the only political party of any size which has been campaigning for equal rights for women for over 100 years. She mentioned, too, that even as far back as the Sixties, she was campaigning for environmental issues.

She felt that, with her in parliament, she would represent matters previously ignored by Zug’s representatives there.

As to the issue of equal opportunities in particular, she mentioned how important it was that women were paid the same as men and that men should also be able to benefit from paternity leave. She would very much like to be involved in the drafting of laws pertaining to health and pensions matters, drawing on her many years’ experience as a diplomat at the same time.