Successor to Gerhard Pfister Bregy announces candidacy for Mitte presidency

Center Party leader Philipp Matthias Bregy has announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Center Party in an interview. The Valais National Councillor wants to succeed outgoing party president Gerhard Pfister, according to Blick.

Keystone-SDA

02.04.2025, 05:42

02.04.2025, 05:45

SDA

"Yes, I'm running", said Bregy in an interview with "Blick", which was initially published online on Wednesday night. He was aware that it would be a great challenge to follow in Pfister's footsteps. He sees the change of role from parliamentary group leader to party president as an opportunity for the party: "As it provides stability because I already have a leadership role in Bern," said the man from Upper Valais.

Bregy had already made his interest in the office of party president public earlier. However, he did not want to stand as a candidate for the Federal Council out of consideration for his family. "As party president, you have a lot of time on your hands, but you can create space for yourself," he said in a recent interview. Sufficient time for the family must still be possible.

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"Party president is not mandatory"

When asked by "Blick" whether his candidacy would stand in the way of a woman, the parliamentary group leader replied: "A female party president would be an option, but is not essential." The center will continue to bring women into central positions in the future. The decision lies with the parliamentary group. Should he become party president, Bregy says it would be conceivable for a woman to take over the presidency of the parliamentary group. If he does not become party president, he wants to remain leader of the parliamentary group, he told Blick.

Amherd successionFederal Council candidacy out of the question for Bregy at present

National Councillor Pfister from Zug announced his resignation at the end of June at the beginning of January. At least one member of the parliamentary group will be represented in the new Mitte presidency. This also applies in the event of a co-candidacy, as the party's search committee announced to the media at the end of March. Nominations for the office will be made by the centrist cantonal parties. The latter are invited to submit their proposals to the search committee by 12.00 noon on April 28.