“We searched and we did not find; due to a lack of candidates, two people were therefore elected against their will to the executive, during the 2024 municipal elections, last month,” sighs René Jacquier, president of the Municipal Council of Collonges, a small town in Lower Valais. In Geneva, “the election for mayor of Collex-Bossy (1,683 residents) could be tacit next spring,” warns the deputy mayor, Skander Chahlaoui. While at the end of the lake, the lists for municipal councils will be closed on December 2, the observation is general among elected officials in French-speaking Switzerland: there is no rush at the gate to take on a position in Parliament or town halls.
Not only do small and medium-sized municipalities, in particular, regularly stick out their tongues to find candidates, “but people stay less long than before, they get exhausted,” explains the Collesian magistrate. Sitting for three or four legislatures is over; It’s more like one or two now.” Main reason? With increasingly numerous, varied and complex files, as well as a multiplication of sessions, the workload has “largely doubled” in around fifteen years, according to the politicians interviewed.
It is therefore increasingly difficult for militiamen to juggle between elected office, profession, family and leisure activities; particularly for executive members. Social worker, Skander Chahlaoui has reduced his employment rate since he became a municipal magistrate in 2020 “and I will have to lower it again, if I am re-elected”. In Meyrin (GE-27,000 inhabitants), administrative councilor Laurent Tremblet had no choice. When he launched an attack on the town hall four years ago (the equivalent of a 75%), “my employer congratulated me on my commitment… and told me that if I was elected, I had to leave the company.”
“Many of us are giving up our profession,” insists the Meyrinois. Which also raises the question of our reconversion.” Skander Chahlaoui continues: “The skills acquired within the framework of our mandates are not valued.” What would make potential volunteers even more hesitant? No doubt.
If René Jacquier agreed to come back, it may also be because he is retired. The president of the Collongien Municipal Council drives the point home. “The workload is certainly increasing. But the lack of candidates can also be explained by a lack of interest in public affairs.”
Added to this is growing psychological pressure, concludes the president of the Association of Geneva Municipalities, Karine Bruchez: “On social networks, elected officials are being destroyed for everything and nothing, it’s unbearable! Respect for the function has fallen, we have become targets.
Promote the work of elected officials
The general opinion is that increasing the remuneration of elected officials does not appear to be decisive in generating vocations. On the other hand, promoting the work of executive members would be essential, in order to find a job once their mandate has ended. For a few hundred francs, the Swiss Leaders association, which collaborates with the umbrella organization of Swiss municipalities, offers certification to magistrates who wish it. The latter highlights the skills acquired at the head of a town hall (staff management, project management, negotiation technique, etc.).
Several elected officials, in particular those from small municipalities, also advocate for mergers of municipalities, in order to rationalize resources – human, in particular. In Geneva, administrative advisors also denounce the “administrative burden” of their tasks vis-à-vis the Canton. They therefore advocate a simplification of certain procedures and demand more municipal autonomy.
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