Favorite, Martin Candinas also gives up on succeeding Viola Amherd

The big favorite to succeed Viola Amherd at the Federal Council is throwing in the towel. Indeed, the Graubünden national councilor Martin Candinas, considered one of the most likely candidates to take over the post of Valaisanne, decided on Monday not to run.

“A role as federal councilor requires complete conviction and dedication. As unique and attractive as it is, it does not ignite an inner fire in me,” he explains in a press release. Le Grison says he is fulfilled by his activities at the National and wishes to continue them. Especially since they allow him to have enough time for his family and friends, writes the elected official, aged 44 and father of three children.

So it’s a new favorite that throws in the towel. We remember that Gerhard Pfister, who had announced a few days earlier that he was leaving his position as party president, also announced on Saturday evening that he would not be a candidate. Also suspected, Haut-Valais resident Philipp Matthias Bregy, head of the Center parliamentary group in Bern, declared on Sunday that he preferred to aim for the presidency of his party.

Note that it is this Monday that the Center must unveil the internal process to find a successor to Viola Amherd who “announced her resignation last Wednesday”. The final ticket should be decided on February 21 for an election on March 12. But the list of eligible people is shrinking like nothing else.

It is very likely that the successor of Valaisanne will be Alemannic. Unless there is a French-speaking surprise? Thus the Valais state councilor and former president of the party Christophe Darbellay told RTS on Monday to think about it and not to rule out a candidacy. He expressed his interest to the national leadership of the party while specifying that this was not an official announcement of candidacy.

Another candidate, however, came out of the woodwork, the Zurich national councilor, Philipp Kutter. He would like to run, he said Sunday, but he is hesitant for practical reasons. Indeed, the elected official has been quadriplegic since a skiing accident in 2023. But he believes that it “would be a strong signal if, today, someone who uses a wheelchair could also become a federal councilor”.