Swiss party president Thierry Burkart to step down in October

Thierry Burkart, president of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party, is stepping down. He wants to hand over the presidency of the party in October, around two years before the next national elections. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The 49-year-old lawyer has led the Radical-Liberal Party for almost four years. Burkart, a senator for canton Aargau, northern Switzerland, wanted to focus exclusively on factual politics and devote more time to his professional activities, the party wrote on Tuesday. Burkart was quoted in the statement as saying that the timing was right for a change at the top of the party. This is because the Radical-Liberal Party is now clearly positioned, has a united front and is in a strong organisational position, he said. Burkart had led the party with foresight, integrity and great personal dedication, the party wrote. By announcing his resignation at an early stage, he had created the conditions for an orderly handover of his ...