FDP and SVP challenge Centre for control of Zug parliament

The FDP and Swiss People’s Party are seeking to overtake the Centre as the strongest party in Zug’s cantonal parliament, SRF reported. The Centre currently leads by only one seat, with all three centre-right parties campaigning for greater influence in the October 4 elections.

The Swiss People’s Party, known as the SVP, aims to become the party with the most votes. “We have pursued a very Zug-friendly policy over the past four years,” party president Philipp C. Brunner said. The party also plans to continue advocating lower taxes.

The FDP has set a target of gaining two seats, increasing its representation from 18 to 20. Party president Daniel Gruber said the party had also proposed a tax rebate in the canton.

At the last elections in 2022, the Centre won 19 of the 80 seats in the Zug Cantonal Council, while the FDP and SVP each secured 18. The Alternative The Greens and the Social Democratic Party together hold 19 seats, with 11 and eight respectively. The Green Liberal Party, the youngest group in the parliament, has six seats.

The council is divided into four roughly equal blocs: the Social Democrats and Alternative The Greens, the Centre, the FDP and the SVP. The united left regularly loses votes against the centre-right majority. The FDP and SVP accuse the Centre, or parts of it, of working too often with left-wing parties.

Centre president Manuela Käch rejected the criticism, saying the party focused on achieving results and needed support from the left or right depending on the issue. She identified housing policy as a priority, saying building permit procedures were taking too long.

Housing is also the main campaign issue for Alternative The Greens and the Social Democrats. Alternative The Greens has submitted proposals for affordable housing and launched an initiative to give municipalities a right of first refusal when land is sold.

Social Democratic Party president Zari Dzaferi said the canton’s most urgent problem was the shortage of homes affordable for people on average incomes. His party has launched an initiative for a housing fund that would require the canton to spend 750 million francs on land purchases and support housing cooperatives. The party hopes to gain one seat.

A total of 342 candidates are competing for the 80 seats in the Zug Cantonal Council.