A lot of people are thinking right now in the Center Party. They are considering a candidacy for the succession of Viola Amherd, who announced her resignation last Wednesday. Since then, many favorites have announced their withdrawal, such as party president Gerhard Pfister, national councilor Martin Candinas, or state councilor Isabelle Chassot.
In Bern, there is one who says he is thinking too. Zurich national councilor Philipp Kutter joined the National Council in 2018 in the Zurich Center group, which has 5 elected officials out of the 36 in the canton. He is president of the municipality of Wädenswil and chairs the Transport and Telecommunications Commission (CTT) of the National Council.
While in Parliament for five years, Philipp Kutter had a skiing accident in early February 2023, which left him quadriplegic, but not completely. He has retained sensitivity in certain limbs which allows him to manage his chair and his smartphone. Someone else might have given up on a political career, but he didn’t. He was re-elected to the National Council in October 2023. In Parliament, there are three in wheelchairs: Islam Alijaj (PS/ZH), Christian Lohr (C/TG) and him.
-Questioned by RTS on Tuesday on the show “Forum”, he said he was motivated by the job: “For 15 years, I have been a trustee of Wädenswil, a small town of 25,000 inhabitants, so I know the work of a executive. And yes, I can say that I have the sacred fire for this type of task.
But he has not yet made his final decision. He talks about it with his family, his two daughters, and tries to assess the practical questions linked to his restricted mobility, in particular to travel as a federal councilor. “But it would be a nice signal if a person in a wheelchair could reach such a position,” he says. At this stage of his reflection, he assesses the probability at 50% that he will run as a candidate by February 3 at noon, the deadline set by his party.
