New Federal Council resignation

Simonetta Sommaruga (c) WEF

Another federal councillor has resigned, changing the dynamics of the elections due next month.

Simonetta Sommaruga says she will leave the government at the end of the year.

In a hastily called press conference in Bern yesterday, Sommaruga says she’s quitting for family reasons after her husband suffered a stroke.

That means parliament will have two vacancies to fill on December 7th as the finance minister Ueli Maurer has already announced his resignation. 

Sommaruga holds the transport, environment, and communications portfolio and is a member of the left-wing Social Democratic Party.

The party says it will put forward two women for the vacancy.

But the announcement has got many political analysts now ruminating on who will be in charge of what departments as it makes a major reshuffle of responsibility more likely.  

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