It is rare that left-wing and middle-class people in the Bundestag almost only say good things about a politician, that even representatives of the other camp first give a positive assessment and only then criticize. This shows the respect that Karin Keller-Sutter has earned. It has become a brand in Federal Bern under the abbreviation KKS.
Of course, there is also criticism of her: For the left, her politics are too right-wing and too focused on austerity. SP National Councilor Fabian Molina says: “She makes far fewer compromises with the left than before, she is a tough nut to crack for us.” But respect for Keller-Sutter is also clear in the left-wing camp.
Guardian of the federal finances
The bourgeois camp is full of praise. Center Councilor of States Benedikt Würth, for example, praises her “strategic skill”. As finance minister, the 60-year-old from eastern Switzerland has definitely arrived at the center of power. The role of strict guardian of the federal treasury clearly suits her. She describes the debt brake as her best friend.
Federal Councilor Karin Keller-Sutter shortly after her election as Federal President in 2025 by the United Federal Assembly with her sponsor dog, the St. Bernard Zeus du Grand St. Bernard, left, and his daughter Lio from the Fondation Barry.
Keystone/ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE
The political rise of the KKS began early and was steep: at 29, he was elected to the Wil city parliament; At the age of 33, he was elected to the St. Gallen cantonal parliament. And at the age of 36, he was elected to the cantonal government. As security and justice director, she made a national name for herself as a fighter against hooligans.
Sensitive kickback
Then came the setback: in 2010 she ran for the Federal Council election – and lost. Parliament preferred Johann Schneider-Ammann to her. The defeat hit Keller-Sutter. And yet the election she lost wasn’t a career break, just a detour: in 2011 she was elected to the Council of States.
In December 2018, she made the longed-for leap into the state government as the successor to Johann Schneider-Ammann. After four years, he moved from the justice department to the finance department. There she experienced her most difficult hour in March 2023: the crisis at Credit Suisse demanded the St. Gallen resident to the utmost.
Flowers for Vice President Guy Parmelin and the new Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter.
Keystone/ANTHONY ANEX
In the Federal Council, the FDP finance minister together with SVP Federal Councilor Albert Rösti form the dominant team. They have steered the council towards a strictly bourgeois course. The committee has somewhat lost its sense of the majority among the people. This is proven by lost votes, such as the 13th AHV pension or the pension fund reform.
Animal Politics
It is clear to political observers: “Karin Keller-Sutter is an exceptional political talent,” says political scientist Adrian Vatter from the University of Bern. “In terms of power instinct and political will, she is comparable to another St. Gallen Federal Councilor, Kurt Furgler.” What she lacks is the proximity to the people. Vatter puts Keller-Sutter in the formula: “very respected, but not loved”.
KKS after her election as Federal Councilor in December 2018.
Keystone/ANTHONY ANEX
Even as a young parliamentarian, Keller-Sutter made an impression in the Wil city parliament. Marcus Zunzer, a council colleague in the 1990s, says: “Karin was so committed and determined that we said to each other back then: ‘She’ll definitely be a Federal Councilor one day’.”
You should be right. She even became Federal President.
