Ousted Simon Stocker fails re-election Severin Brüngger wins seat in Schaffhausen Council of States
The voters of Schaffhausen have elected Severin Brüngger (FDP) to the Council of States. He narrowly prevailed against Simon Stocker (SP), who had previously been removed from office by the Federal Supreme Court.
29.06.2025, 12:41
29.06.2025, 13:48
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- FDP candidate Severin Brüngger prevailed against SP politician Simon Stocker with around 52 percent of the vote.
- The Federal Supreme Court had declared Stocker's original election invalid at the end of March, as his place of residence was not in Schaffhausen at the time of the election.
- Stocker accepted the decision, but criticized it as "no longer in keeping with the times".
- With Brüngger's entry into the Stöckli, both Schaffhausen seats are once again in the hands of the middle classes.
SP member of the Council of States Stocker, who was deposed by the Federal Supreme Court at the end of March, will definitely lose his seat. The FDP candidate Brüngger received around 52% of the vote in the by-election on Sunday. Voter turnout was 68.8 percent.
SP member of the Council of States Stocker, who was ousted by the Federal Supreme Court at the end of March, has now definitively lost his seat. In the by-election on Sunday, the FDP candidate Brüngger received around 52% of the vote. According to the Schaffhausen state chancellery, voter turnout was 68.8 percent.
Brüngger received a majority of votes in 24 of the 26 Schaffhausen municipalities. In the city of Schaffhausen, where around half of the canton's voters live, Stocker was ahead. In the second-largest municipality, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Stocker achieved a wafer-thin majority.
"I didn't expect this result, it's a huge surprise for me," said Brüngger in an initial reaction at the Schaffhausen election center. The 47-year-old works as an airline pilot and is a member of the Schaffhausen cantonal council. His opponent Stocker arrived at the election center after the final result was announced and congratulated the winner.
He appeared composed. "The big shock for me was the Federal Supreme Court ruling in March. I would have liked to continue working for the canton of Schaffhausen - now things have changed and I have to accept that," he said.
Back to the undivided state vote
With Hannes Germann (SVP) and the newly elected Brüngger, both seats in the Schaffhausen Council of States are now back in the hands of the middle classes. Before Stocker, the Schaffhausen SP had only once held a seat in the Council of States, with Esther Bührer from 1979 to 1991.
Brüngger's success was undoubtedly due to the effective cooperation between the conservative parties. In 2023, when Councillor of States Thomas Minder (non-party) lost his seat to Stocker, the situation was different: The conservative camp was divided.
The FDP dropped its own candidate, who did not meet with universal approval from the SVP, after a rather weak result in the first round of voting, and issued an election recommendation for Minder. This led to a fierce dispute within the party.
Residence affair as a stumbling block
The affair surrounding Stocker's place of residence at the time of the election in November 2023 led to a protracted legal dispute. At the end of March this year, the Federal Supreme Court ruled to annul Stocker's election as his place of residence at the time of the election was in the city of Zurich. He had therefore not fulfilled the eligibility requirements. Stocker criticized this decision as "no longer in keeping with the times".
According to the ruling, Stocker and his family lived mainly in an apartment in Zurich. At the same time, they rented a slightly smaller apartment in Schaffhausen. While Stocker moved his residence to Schaffhausen, his wife and their child remained registered in Zurich.
