Christian Democrats look for leg-up from Leuthard
Doris Leuthard looks set to be handed the task of reviving the flagging fortunes of Switzerland’s centre-right Christian Democrats.
If elected in September, she will be the only woman at the helm of a leading political party in Switzerland.
Leuthard, a member of the federal parliament since 1999, has been interim president since the beginning of the year.
On Tuesday her party announced that the 41-year-old was a candidate for the leadership, despite having previously said she was not interested in the job.
“I feel a lot of enthusiasm among the grass-root members of the party,” said Leuthard, who added that she wanted to put the party back on a winning track.
The Christian Democrats saw their support drop to below 15 per cent in last year’s parliamentary elections.
Leuthard also pledged to seek reforms and consensus solutions. She said the party, which traditionally represents family values, would continue to push for economic growth and greater social responsibility.
A lawyer by trade, she made a name for herself as a specialist on asylum and health issues.
Election
It is widely expected that Leuthard will be the only candidate when party delegates meet to elect a new leadership on September 18.
The Christian Democrats initially planned to choose a new president in February to replace Philipp Stähelin, but the decision was postponed because of a lack of candidates.
The party’s poor showing in October’s elections was followed by the loss of one its two cabinet seats in December, prompting Stähelin to step down.
The Christian Democrats are the third of the country’s four main parties to look for a new leader.
In April the centre-right Radical Party elected Rolf Schweiger as its new president; while Hans-Jürg Fehr took over the presidency of the centre-left Social Democrats in March.
Only the rightwing Swiss People’s Party has left its leadership unchanged after the parliamentary elections. Ueli Maurer has headed up the party since 1996.
swissinfo with agencies
Doris Leuthard, 41, looks set to become the president of the Christian Democratic Party.
She will replace Philipp Stähelin, who stepped down in December in the wake of poor parliamentary and cabinet election results.
A previous attempt to elect a new leader was postponed earlier this year because of a lack of candidates.
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