The canton of Zurich elects a new government and a new parliament. Which party is likely to grow the most and which government councilor has to tremble for her office: the overview of the Zurich elections in 2023.
Switzerland’s most populous canton will elect a new government and parliament on February 12. Over 1.5 million people live in the canton of Zurich, around 930,000 of whom are entitled to vote. The starting point for the elections is exciting, both for the government and for the cantonal council. In addition, the result from Zurich is often an indicator for the national elections.
Government elections: Attack on Silvia Steiner
Traditionally, previous government councilors are firmly in the saddle – also in the canton of Zurich. This year, however, the election for Education Director Silvia Steiner could be a nail-biter. The central government councilor is in seventh and last place in polls – just ahead of challenger Priska Seiler Graf. The SP national councilor from Kloten will regain the seat her party lost when Mario Fehr left in 2021.
These seven want to know it again
Steiner was probably concerned about the current state of Zurich’s schools, especially the acute shortage of teachers. This topic has caused numerous frontal attacks on the education director in the past – although the 64-year-old has taken measures and increased the number of training places at the teacher training college. Not only Seiler Graf, but also GLP candidate Benno Scherrer and Peter Grünenfelder from the FDP were critical.
These six candidates want to win a seat
Even if Silvia is Steiner from all sides, she should have a slight advantage over the challengers due to the previous bonus. Only SP candidate Priska Seiler Graf should have a real chance of replacing Steiner in the government. The other candidates who want to join the Zurich executive probably have no chance. The six previous candidates, all of whom are candidates, hardly have to worry.
These 5 outsiders also want to be in the government council
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The following candidates do not have a large party behind them, and some have no political experience either. Your chances of election are zero. We introduce them briefly. Where available, a Smartvote profile is stored.
Josua Dietrich, (free list), 36. The corona measure critic would work to ensure that the corona policy of the last three years is reviewed in detail.
Patrick Jetzer (President Aufrecht), 51. The anger about the restrictions in the corona pandemic made him a candidate. He got a seat in the Dübendorf parliament for the “Aufrecht” movement.
Bernhard Schmidt (independent), 57, believes that the cantonal government is doing far too little to combat climate change. A radical rethinking and action is now needed.
Peter Vetsch (independent), 57. He thinks politics is too dependent on corporations, associations and the church. He would like to campaign for minimum wages or free crèches. smart vote profile
Florian Wegmann, 18. The politics-interested KV apprentice says that input from young people is needed. He cannot be classified politically. A healthy Zurich economy is just as important to him as a responsible environmental policy.
Cantonal elections: will the climate alliance tip over?
The Zurich cantonal parliament could experience decisive changes. The so-called climate alliance of SP, AL, Greens, GLP and EPP is on the brink here. These five parties currently hold 93 of the 180 seats in the cantonal council. They work together on environmental issues. However, their slim majority could fall in the cantonal elections.
The reason for this scenario is the predicted loss of seats by the SP and the Greens. According to polls, the two left-wing parties are losing voters. The Social Democrats in particular are likely to lose seats. The Green Liberals, on the other hand, did very well in the surveys. Only if they succeed in absorbing the losses could the climate alliance retain its narrow majority.
Political scientists assume that the bourgeois parties in particular will be able to gain ground in the cantonal elections. This has to do with the fact that left-wing issues such as climate protection are no longer as dominant as they were four years ago. At the moment, Switzerland and the Canton of Zurich are primarily concerned with the war in Ukraine, the increasing number of refugees and the economy with inflation. These issues are mainly managed by bourgeois parties.
In addition to the GLP, the FDP, SVP and possibly the middle voters should also gain shares. Experts assume that the small parties AL and EPP will roughly maintain their strength.
Zurich elections: Stay informed
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On February 12, Zurich’s voters will re-elect their government and the cantonal parliament. You can find an overview of the elections in the canton of Zurich here.