Who will succeed Gerhard Pfister? Things are boiling in the center - and the acid test is yet to come
Stepping down as Mitte President in the summer: Gerhard Pfister.
Image: Keystone
Mitte Secretary General Gianna Luzio is also stepping down in the summer.
Image: Keystone
Federal Councillor Viola Amherd will relinquish her seat in the national government at the end of March.
Image: Keystone
Amherd's successor has already been chosen: Martin Pfister was elected to the Federal Council on March 12.
Image: KEYSTONE
Considered a promising candidate to succeed party president Gerhard Pfister: Valais National Councillor Philipp Matthias Bregy.
Image: Keystone
Bernese National Councillor Reto Nause has already expressed his interest in the party presidency.
Image: Keystone
The centrist women are also laying claim to the party leadership: Zurich National Councillor Nicole Barandun is not ruling out a candidacy.
Image: Keystone
Stepping down as Mitte President in the summer: Gerhard Pfister.
Image: Keystone
Mitte Secretary General Gianna Luzio is also stepping down in the summer.
Image: Keystone
Federal Councillor Viola Amherd will relinquish her seat in the national government at the end of March.
Image: Keystone
Amherd's successor has already been chosen: Martin Pfister was elected to the Federal Council on March 12.
Image: KEYSTONE
Considered a promising candidate to succeed party president Gerhard Pfister: Valais National Councillor Philipp Matthias Bregy.
Image: Keystone
Bernese National Councillor Reto Nause has already expressed his interest in the party presidency.
Image: Keystone
The centrist women are also laying claim to the party leadership: Zurich National Councillor Nicole Barandun is not ruling out a candidacy.
Image: Keystone
The Center Party is facing turbulent months: After the change in the Federal Council, the party is not only looking for a new leader, but also for its course for the future. The danger of stumbling seems great.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- After Viola Amherd, other influential figures are stepping down from the Centre Party this summer, including party president Gerhard Pfister and secretary general Gianna Luzio.
- Faction President Philipp Matthias Bregy is considered the favorite, but the centrist women are pushing for a female president.
- The party is facing key strategic directional issues.
"Let's tackle it together, let's go into the future together: with cohesion and responsibility," said Center President Gerhard Pfister at the delegates' meeting in Visp at the end of February. What was probably meant in the context of the many national and international challenges - for example in the area of security policy - can also be understood as an appeal to the party's own people.
These are turbulent times for the party: Martin Pfister will take over the seat of Viola Amherd on April 1 and namesake Gerhard Pfister will step down as President in the summer.
"We keep Switzerland together" is what the centrists preach in their party manifesto. These days, however, it seems that the party itself is in danger of breaking apart. A successor to Viola Amherd has only been found with difficulty. The election was preceded by a flood of rejections from well-known party members, which ultimately made Martin Pfister's candidacy possible in the first place.
Scraping past the embarrassment
The party appeared weakened. It did not succeed in presenting good political personnel and putting them in the right light. Election winner Martin Pfister only jumped into the breach a few hours before the registration deadline and thus saved his party from the disgrace of not being able to present a two-person ticket to the United Federal Assembly. False alarm, according to parliamentary group president Philipp Matthias Bregy: "Our party is doing well," he said in interviews after the election.
This week, the party executive committee will begin the search for a successor to President Gerhard Pfister. A search committee is to define a candidate profile. The first potential candidates have already expressed their interest.
Women stake their claim
Bregy is the favorite in the race. Although the Valais National Councillor has not confirmed his candidacy, he has not ruled it out either. He wants to wait with his decision until the search committee has defined the criteria for the successor. According to him, someone is needed who will continue Gerhard Pfister's course.
Bernese National Councillor Reto Nause put himself forward early on. He wants to "position the center as a modern party that is committed to digitalization projects". The 53-year-old was a member of the Bernese government for 15 years and was elected to the National Council in 2023. Before that, he was General Secretary of the former CVP Switzerland for several years. He would also like to stick to Pfister's current course.
However, if the centrist women have their way, the party will soon be chaired by a woman. Their demand is an expression of dissatisfaction within the party. They already called for a female candidate in the election to replace the Federal Council. However, no one stood.
Now it should be different. Christina Bachmann-Roth, President of the Center Women, has already announced that several female candidates have expressed interest. The Zurich National Councillor Nicole Barandun has been mentioned in this context.
Where should the party head?
Whoever takes over the party leadership must clarify the fundamental question: Where should the center steer? The urban wing on the left fringe of the party, for example, was already thinking aloud about a merger with the GLP or was open to closer ties with the EU. These are concerns that are unlikely to be heard by the centrist representatives in the Council of States.
Under Gerhard Pfister, the centrist party has targeted specific issues, such as healthcare policy. Although the party's voting record may be mixed, it gained voter share for the first time in years in 2023. The gap to the FDP is now only marginal.
Criticism of the leadership style
This is actually a comfortable starting point for the party to continue its successful course in the next national elections in 2027. However, the wave of resignations has shaken the center. General Secretary and key party strategist Gianna Luzio will also be stepping down in the summer. In the past, party members have repeatedly criticized the harsh leadership style of the Pfister/Luzio duo.
Especially as the timing of the resignations was apparently not agreed internally. Otherwise, the chaotic search for candidates for the Federal Council could hardly be explained.
The party usually only uses its power at a late stage. While the pole parties expose and fight each other, the center waits and often becomes the decisive factor. However, the role of tipping the scales can only be fulfilled if all party wings pull in the same direction. The future presidency will therefore not only have to hold Switzerland together, but first and foremost the center.
