2023-08-06 22:58:32
Campaign Spending
From Suter with 210,000 francs to Studer up to 30,000 francs: the candidates for the Council of States disclose their budgets
The AZ asked all seven Aargau candidates for the Council of States about their campaign budget. Now they are making transparent where their money comes from, what they spend it on and, above all, how much they have at their disposal. The differences are enormous.
The new transparency regulation is less strict for the Council of States elections than for the National Council elections. While the candidates for the Grand Chamber from 50,000 francs must specify their campaign budget, the Swiss Federal Audit Office only requires full financial transparency from candidates for the Stöckli after the election, and only from those who have actually been elected. The seven Aargau candidates for the Council of States are already voluntarily disclosing their budget at the request of the AZ. The information is based on self-declaration.
Gabriela Suter (SP): 210,000 francs
Donations totaling CHF 150,000 are budgeted. According to their own statements, more than 1000 people have already donated, including many small donations (mostly between 20 and 200 francs). In addition, there are 40,000 francs from the party, and the candidate contributes another 21,000 francs. The money will be used for the “Unterwegs im Aargau” campaign, posters, flyers and online activities.
Thierry Burkart (FDP): 180,000 francs
As with the other candidates, the budget may vary. According to Thierry Burkart, it depends on the income. So far it has only been about donations. The main part of the budget is used for advertising such as posters and advertisements. In contrast to the competition, Burkart, as a former member of the Council of States, is not also running for the National Council.
Marianne Binder (The middle): 120,000 to 150,000 francs
According to Marianne Binder, she can only say the final budget at the end of the election campaign. She expects 120,000 to 150,000 francs. It is not the party that is responsible for funding the Council of States election campaign, but the party itself. She makes her personal contribution and is grateful to everyone who supported her. Binder focuses on her website, street election campaign and events.
Benjamin Giezendanner (SVP): 100,000 francs
According to Benjamin Giezendanner, the party will be responsible for the basic advertising for the planned budget. The rest of the budget is financed by donations and by our own contributions. A large part of the money should flow into posters (APG) and advertisements. In addition, he will be able to place posters with friends, according to the SVP candidate. “Hopefully the costs won’t explode.”
Irène Kälin (Greens): 50,000 to 60,000 francs
The Greens expect campaign costs of between CHF 50,000 and CHF 60,000. She shows the composition of the budget as follows: the Swiss Greens pay 20,000 francs, the Aargau Greens 15,000 francs, 15,000 to 25,000 francs are donations, and Kälin contributes at least 10,000 francs himself, depending on the amount of donations. The money is used for hanging boxes in public transport, posters and helpers.
Barbara Portmann (GLP): 40,000 francs
Barbara Portmann, GLP, Lenzburg
Image: Zvg
According to the self-declaration, the election campaign budget of the Green Liberal candidate is made up as follows: 20,000 francs for the party, 15,000 francs for donations, 5,000 francs for own funds. The 40,000 francs are mainly used for staff, posters and various campaigns. According to the GLP, it is a joint campaign for elections to the Council of States and the National Council.
Lilian Studer (EVP): 30 000 Franken
In principle, everything is financed from the party budget and thus what donations it receives, according to the EPP politician. The 30,000 francs are intended for an additional personal budget. The party’s funds and those of the party itself are used for both the Council of States and the National Council election campaign. Studer uses its own budget to finance advertisements, videos and give-aways.
Conclusion: two-class society, SP money power, side effect
two-tier society: The four favorites for the two seats in the Council of States all have a six-digit budget: Gabriela Suter (SP) 210,000 francs, Thierry Burkart (FDP, previously) 180,000 francs, Marianne Binder (middle) 120,000 to 150,000 francs and Benjamin Giezendanner 100,000 francs. The election campaign box office for the outsiders is much smaller: Irène Kälin 50,000 to 60,000 francs, Barbara Portmann (GLP) 40,000 francs, Lilian Studer (EPP) 30,000 francs.
SP box twice as big as SVP: Four years ago, SP National Councilor Cédric Wermuth spent a record 300,000 francs on his Council of States election campaign. It is no coincidence that the SP candidacy with Suter also has the largest budget this time: If the Social Democrats want to (re)conquer a seat in the bourgeois-dominated Aargau, they have to put in an above-average amount of effort. Her main competitor, Giezendanner, has only about half of Suter’s budget. In return, he benefits from being able to put up free posters with SVP-friendly farmers.
Side effect for National Council: With the exception of Burkart, all of them are also candidates for the National Council. At best, the Council of States election campaign has a spillover effect. So if you don’t vote, the money isn’t necessarily for naught. If nothing happens with the Council of States, the advertising effort should at least indirectly help to get a seat in the National Council.
#budgets #Aargau #candidates