People’s Party tightens grip on second cabinet seat

Following Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf’s announcement that she will not stand for re-election to the Swiss cabinet on December 9, no political party is disputing the claim of the conservative right Swiss People’s Party to her seat. Who will fill it remains unclear.  “There have been worse days,” said a jubilant People’s Party president Toni Brunner on Wednesday, adding that now his party could take more responsibility.  “It’s important in future that voices critical of asylum and EU policies are present in cabinet discussions. Anything other than two seats for the People’s Party would not be accepted by voters.” Brunner has ruled himself out of the cabinet job.  Widmer-Schlumpf is a member of the centre-right Conservative Democratic Party, which got only 4.1% of the vote in federal elections on October 18. The People’s Party notched up a record 29.4%, which, it says, entitles it to a second seat in the seven-person cabinet, whose members are elected not ...