Rémy Wyssmann bids for Federal Council seat

Rémy Wyssmann, a lawmaker from the SVP in the canton of Solothurn, has announced his candidacy for Switzerland’s Federal Council, SRF reports. He made the announcement at a news conference in Solothurn.

“I am applying for this seat,” Wyssmann said, adding that he was ready to serve. A Federal Council position was not a prize for a career, he said, but a service to the country and its people. At 59, he said, he was old enough to have been tested in his professional and political life, and young enough to serve two full terms and beyond.

Wyssmann has represented Solothurn in the National Council since December 2023. He was a member of Kriegstetten’s municipal council from 2016 to 2023 and served in the Solothurn cantonal parliament from 2017 to 2023. He works as a lawyer and notary.

Before Wyssmann’s announcement, Geneva National Council member Céline Amaudruz was the only person to have officially declared a bid to succeed Guy Parmelin. Solothurn SVP lawmaker Christian Imark has ruled himself out, citing his family situation.

Several other politicians have also said they will not run, including St Gallen Council of States member Esther Friedli, SVP party president Marcel Dettling and Schwyz government member André Rüegsegger. Graubünden National Council member Magdalena Martullo-Blocher has also said she will not stand.