All seven Zug government members seek another term

All seven members of the government of the canton of Zug are standing for re-election on October 4, SRF reports, leaving the Alternative the Greens, Social Democrats and Green Liberals facing a difficult challenge. The governing body currently consists of two Swiss People’s Party members, three Centre party members and two Liberals.

Two of the incumbents have reached retirement age, while two have served in the government for 19 and 15 years respectively. Both Swiss People’s Party members say they would not step down early if re-elected.

Finance Director Heinz Tännler, 66, is the oldest member of the government and has served the longest. He was elected in 2007 and led the construction department until 2016, when he took charge of finance. Education and Culture Director Stephan Schleiss, 53, has been in office since 2011.

The Centre party holds three seats. Economic Affairs Director Silvia Thalmann has served since 2018 and reached retirement age this summer. She is currently on sick leave because of irritation of the meninges. The Centre says she plans to return to work at the end of September.

Security Director Laura Dittli, 35, is the youngest member of the government. She was elected in 2023. Andreas Hausheer, 53, has been in office since October 2025, when he replaced Federal Councillor Martin Pfister, and heads the health department.

The Liberal party’s two incumbents are Construction Director Florian Weber, 45, who was elected in 2018, and Interior Director Andreas Hostettler, 58, who was also elected in 2018. Hostettler is the current president of the government.

The challengers listed by the source are Andreas Lustenberger of the Alternative the Greens, who has served in the cantonal parliament for 13 years; Green Liberal candidate Joëlle Gautier, a cantonal parliament member since 2022; and Social Democratic candidate Jessica Gauch, who has not previously held political office.

Voters in Zug will elect the seven-member government on October 4.