Two months after her ouster from the Council of States, Lisa Mazzone is attempting a return to politics. The 35-year-old Genevan announced on Tuesday that she was a candidate for the presidency of the Swiss Greens. She is the first to run for this position after the resignation of Balthasar Glättli.
After the defeat of the Greens in the last federal elections, its president Balthasar Glättli announced that he would not seek a new mandate at the head of the party this spring, believing that a new start and a new face were needed for its formation.
And that face could be that of Lisa Mazzone. “After a long reflection, I decided to run for the presidency of my party,” she announced to RTS on Tuesday. “I want to make a contribution at this key moment when the worst scenarios seem to be coming true in terms of climate and biodiversity and where we feel a strong headwind on issues affecting the environment, with the rise of the far right . I am convinced that our party has an important role to play.”
Better mobilize and reach out to the population
The Geneva resident says she wants to “make a contribution, make her skills and time available for a fairer future for future generations” and make the Greens “a party committed with conviction to an ecological turning point”. And added: “For 40 years, we have been fighting for environmental and social justice, for solidarity and openness. These are the issues of our time and we have a central role to play.”
Our party has a broad base, is active in the Valais mountains as well as in downtown Geneva
Lisa Mazzone, Geneva ecologist
The one who now poses as a favorite for the presidency of the Greens believes that to play this role, we must “transform all the forces that pull on the same rope into political energy, mobilize better, but above all get in touch with the population” . In his eyes, it is also about “showing that our party has a broad base, is active in the Valais mountains as well as in the city center of Geneva. That we do politics differently, but with a common vision: a happy future for future generations. Also showing that the ecological turning point is a chance to live better, together, in a more united way.”
The slap in the face of the federal elections
Last November 9, it was a cold shower for Lisa Mazzone. The Geneva Green was excluded from the Council of States following the second round of the federal elections. By obtaining 43,300 votes, she was clearly beaten by MCG representative Mauro Poggia (55,300 votes) and narrowly by her running mate, the outgoing socialist Carlo Sommaruga (46,400).
>> Read also: Mauro Poggia will go to Bern with the socialist Carlo Sommaruga, Lisa Mazzone announces her withdrawal from politics
Elected in Bern in 2015, Lisa Mazzone spent four years in the National Council then four years in the Council of States. The day of her defeat, she announced her withdrawal from politics. “I will bring my convictions to life elsewhere, through other means,” she declared. A few days later, she told RTS that she had lost none of her love of politics and assured that she was more worried about the environment than for herself or the electoral defeat of her party.
>> Watch the interview with Lisa Mazzone in Helvetica:
#Helvetica: Lisa Mazzone / #Helvetica / 20 min. / November 25, 2023
>> Lisa Mazzone will be the guest of La Matinale on RTS La Première Wednesday at 7:33 a.m.
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