Dittli presses on with Vaud government bid

Valérie Dittli plans to run again for the government of the canton of Vaud, possibly without the support of her party, SRF analyst Roman Fillinger reports. The 33-year-old announced her plans in an interview with Le Matin Dimanche.

Dittli unexpectedly won a seat in the Vaud government four years ago. She challenged a questionable tax practice that cost the canton millions, alienating several people in the process. She may also have breached laws, an issue now being examined in criminal proceedings.

Dittli still has loyal supporters who value her determination to shake up Vaud politics. But she has also fallen out with many people during her first term. Two criminal proceedings are pending against her, and she is isolated within the cantonal government.

Her former allies, the FDP and SVP, no longer want to campaign alongside her. Even the leadership of her own cantonal branch of The Centre party believes it would be better off without her candidacy.

Fillinger writes that Dittli bears some responsibility for the situation. She clashed with senior officials in her administration after allegedly exceeding her powers. She also fell out with fellow government members because she did not communicate openly enough.

However, Fillinger says the rest of the cantonal government also contributed to the conflict. When government portfolios were assigned four years ago, Dittli, then 29 and without significant political or professional experience, was given the finance department, possibly the most difficult portfolio.

When conflicts later arose within the tax authority, her government colleagues did not support her. They allowed her to fall and removed her from the finance department. At times, Fillinger writes, this appeared to amount to bullying.

Dittli’s renewed candidacy reflects both her strength and her weakness, according to the analysis: her persistence and her sometimes excessive boldness. In early September, delegates of The Centre in Vaud will decide whether to continue supporting her.

Dittli has made clear that she would also run as an independent candidate if necessary. Fillinger writes that this is her right, but questions when persistence becomes obstinacy.