The Aargau FDP National Councilor Matthias Jauslin is switching to the GLP. It’s the end of a troubled relationship.
Party changes are not very common in the national parliament. Matthias Jauslin’s decision to leave the FDP parliamentary group and rejoin the GLP is causing quite a stir. The 62-year-old Aargau National Council justified his decision on Thursday with differences in content with his party.
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His decision matured over a long period of time. “The attitude of the FDP Switzerland no longer corresponds to my inner convictions,” says Jauslin when asked by the NZZ. This applies in particular to the topics of the environment, climate, spatial planning and renewable energies. From his point of view, they should not be located on the left-right axis, but should be tackled progressively. “I no longer see the willingness to do this in the FDP,” emphasizes Jauslin. He places community spirit, i.e. the common good, at the center of his political work. Jauslin apparently no longer sees this as sufficiently represented in the FDP.
Kicked out of commission
In fact, in recent years Jauslin has often voted differently than the majority of the FDP parliamentary group. The WOZ once described him as an “environmental liberal”. The owner of a company for electrical installations, telematics and automation supported the CO2 law. Contrary to his party’s stance, he also supported the biodiversity initiative.
-The FDP party president Thierry Burkart was not surprised by the departure of his Aargau party and council colleague. Burkart would have welcomed it if Jauslin had changed parties before the federal elections in autumn 2023. But something has happened since then that has finally made it clear to Jauslin that his position in the FDP is no longer in demand. Against his will, he had to leave the Commission for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy. To this day, Jauslin has not gotten over this expulsion, which was provoked by Burkart and confirmed by the parliamentary group.
Jauslin emphasizes that he has had a good relationship with Thierry Burkart over the past 18 years. But it is an open secret that Jauslin and Burkart were not always on the same wavelength, and not just in terms of content. There have been personal animosities again and again in recent years. There was a huge crash in the FDP camp in the 2023 Council of States elections. Contrary to his party’s official stance, Jauslin refused to support SVP candidate Benjamin Giezendanner in the second round of voting. Instead, he taunted X against his party president Burkart, whom he described as a transport lobbyist.
Success for GLP
The Green Liberals, who are not currently riding a wave of success, are happy about the prominent growth. The GLP now has 12 national councilors. The FDP parliamentary group loses one of its previous 28 seats.
“With his commitment, Matthias Jauslin credibly shows that ecological issues can be advanced with liberal approaches,” parliamentary group leader Corina Gredig is quoted as saying in a media release. With his know-how and his level-headed manner, he is a reinforcement for the GLP. When it comes to his attitude towards Europe, Jauslin should also feel comfortable in his new environment. In contrast to many liberal politicians, he is clearly in favor of concluding a new agreement with the EU.
Jauslin wants to take his time to settle into his new faction. He has not yet decided whether he will run for his new party in the 2027 National Council elections and thus compete with his previous party colleagues.
Matthias Jauslin is not the first national parliamentarian to change parties during the legislature. In 2001, FDP man Luzi Stamm (AG) joined the SVP, and in 2011 Thomas Müller (SG) moved from the CVP (today: Die Mitte) to the SVP. In the spring of 2019, Daniel Frei (ZH) finally handed in his SP party booklet and politicized in the GLP parliamentary group until the end of 2019. The former SP national councilor Chantal Galladé switched to the GLP after resigning from the national parliament in 2018.
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