Government and parliamentary elections Aargau SVP makes further gains and secures conservative majority

The canton of Aargau moved to the right in the general elections for the government and parliament on Sunday.

The canton of Aargau moved to the right in the general elections for the government and parliament on Sunday. In parliament, the SVP, by far the party with the most voters, gained five seats. The people elected SVP National Councillor Martina Bircher to the cantonal government at the first attempt.

There is now an opportunity to work with the FDP "to make good civic policy", said the President of the Aargau SVP and National Councillor Andreas Glarner. The SVP and FDP, who often vote the same way, will have a total of 70 seats over the next four years. Together with the EDU, they hold 73 of the 140 seats in parliament.

The SVP, the party with the most voters, gained 3.60 percentage points and has a voter share of 33.90%. The FDP increased its voter share by 0.64 points to 15.35% and the EDU by 0.21 points to 1.81%.

GLP: "Aargau will no longer be the same"

The new distribution of seats in the 140-member Grand Council is as follows: SVP 48 (+5), SP 23 (0), FDP 22 (+1), center 18 (0), Greens 10 (-4), GLP 11 (-2), EVP 5 (-1) and EDU 3 (+1). The SVP has never had so many seats since the parliament was reduced from 200 to 140 in 2005. The voter turnout was 32.6 percent.

Green Party President and Grand Councillor Daniel Hölzle regretted the loss of seats. "As lost as won", he said on regional broadcaster Tele M1. Four years ago, the Greens, together with the GLP, were the election winners and won four additional seats.

The fact that the "right-wing conservative bloc" now has a majority in parliament will make the next four years "very difficult". GLP President Philippe Kühni also pointed this out: "Aargau will no longer be the same."

Four incumbent men and one new woman

The SVP also had its way in the government council elections. The party defended the second seat vacated by Education Director Alex Hürzeler on the cantonal council: the people elected National Councillor Martina Bircher at the first attempt. The 40-year-old is the first woman to sit on the cantonal council in four years. So far, the people have only elected three women to the government.

All four previous councillors were clearly confirmed in office. The best result was achieved by Finance Director Markus Dieth (center), followed by Construction Director Stephan Attiger (FDP). Health Director Jean-Pierre Gallati (SVP) and Home Affairs Director Dieter Egli (SP) also achieved an absolute majority.

The SVP is still represented in the cantonal government with two seats. Two challengers did not stand a chance: GLP National Councillor Beat Flach and Green Party Councillor Ruth Müri missed out. Voter turnout was 32.2 percent.

Bircher a "strong woman"

"It's a super result", said Bircher on regional broadcaster Tele M1. In the nomination for the candidacy, Bircher had prevailed against a rival within the party.

Bircher has been a member of the National Council since 2019 and is the owner of a consultancy firm. The deputy mayor of Aarburg takes a tough stance on asylum and social policy. During the election campaign, she sought the political center on education and economic issues. "The strong woman for our Aargau" was the SVP politician's election slogan.

Following Bircher's election to the cantonal executive, Christian Glur is expected to become a member of the National Council. The 49-year-old master farmer from Glashütten in the district of Zofingen has been a member of the Grand Council since 2009. His father, Walter Glur, was already a member of the National Council for two years until the end of 2022.