Search now under time pressure SVP wins eight seats in Buchs AG - but only has five people
The SVP has made gains in Buchs AG and now has eight seats on the local council - but only has five people who want to run for office. Now the search for candidates begins under time pressure.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In Buchs AG, the SVP is surpassing its own field of candidates: eight seats - but only five people are standing.
- The party has until January 9 to nominate new members, otherwise there is a risk of by-elections.
- The electoral law allows parties to win seats even though there are not enough candidates on the list.
The SVP remains one of the strongest forces in Buchs AG - even if it is in a paradoxical position: it won eight seats, but can only fill five of them. This was reported by the SRF regional journal on Monday evening.
For parliamentary group leader Dieter Stüssi, this is nevertheless a positive signal. He speaks of a "luxury problem" that shows how strong the party's support is. At the same time, he admits that recruiting new people is becoming increasingly difficult. Associations, parties and local committees are all struggling to recruit people for voluntary work.
According to municipal clerk Cornelia Crouch, the SVP now has just over a month to register interested candidates. The subsequent nominees only have to be eligible to vote in Buchs - there are no other requirements. If the party is unable to find three additional people by January 9, the municipality will be faced with a supplementary election. This would be open to all parties.
Similar case eight years ago
Legally, the case is clear: in proportional representation elections, the proportion of voters is decisive, not the number of names on the list. A seat remains in place even if no one has run for it. The canton's legal service states that this fully preserves party proportional representation.
The situation is not entirely new: a similar case was recorded in Buchs around eight years ago. And in 2014, the SVP in Windisch also had to re-nominate three people at short notice. The big question now is whether the Buchs local section will find enough volunteers again.
