Fribourg State Council Elections Hand Cantonal Executive Major Reshuffle

Voters in the Swiss canton of Fribourg are deciding the composition of their seven-member executive council in general renewal elections. With three sitting members opting not to seek re-election, at least three seats on the State Council will change hands.

The retiring members of the government are Jean-Pierre Siggen and Olivier Curty, both representing The Centre, as well as Jean-François Steiert of the Social Democratic Party. Four incumbent state councillors are seeking another term in office: Didier Castella and Romain Collaud from the FDP, Philippe Demierre of the Swiss People's Party, and Green politician Sylvie Bonvin-Sansonnens.

Prior to the vote, centre-right and right-wing parties maintained a five-seat majority in the seven-seat executive council. The FDP and The Centre held two seats each, alongside one seat held by the Swiss People's Party. The remaining two positions were occupied by one Green Party member and one Social Democrat.

Several new candidates are contesting the vacant seats left by the outgoing councillors. Among those seeking election for The Centre are National Councillor Marie-France Roth Pasquier and cantonal MP Markus Julmy. The Social Democratic Party has entered school director Stephanie Tschopp, teacher Kirthana Wickramasingam, and Saane district prefect Lise-Marie Graden. Additional candidacies include lawyer Leonardo Gomez Mariaca for the Green Liberals, nursing manager Vincent Pfister for the Centre-Left, artist Claudio Rugo for the Künstlerklub, and a joint ticket by Ayana Abdulle and Sandy Maillard for Das/Was.

Electoral officials expect the first election results to be made public on Sunday afternoon. The vote will determine whether the conservative-liberal majority retains its five seats or if the political balance of power shifts in the cantonal government.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com