Franz Grüter rules himself out of Swiss cabinet race

SVP lawmaker Franz Grüter will not run to succeed departing Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, he told the Bote der Urschweiz in an interview, SRF reports.

The 63-year-old from Lucerne said many people from the public, business community and his party had urged him to stand. After careful consideration, he decided with his family that a cabinet position was not the right choice for them. He said the role would mean putting himself almost entirely at the country’s service for many years.

Grüter said a federal councillor had little private life, and that the whole family would have to accept that cost. He said the decision was not about practical arrangements but about how they wanted to live in the coming years.

He argued that the Federal Council should include people with business experience. Grüter said he had built and led a company with several hundred employees for almost 20 years. That experience, he said, shaped how he viewed bureaucracy, regulation and taxes. He will continue to bring his business experience to the National Council.

Grüter said the SVP had a broad pool of capable people from all parts of the country and would present Parliament with a strong choice. He declined to name a preferred successor, saying the party’s parliamentary group should first receive applications and then nominate candidates.

Geneva National Councillor Céline Amaudruz and Solothurn National Councillor Rémy Wyssmann have so far declared their candidacies. Parliament is due to elect Parmelin’s successor in December.