Voters in the canton re-elected the 66-year-old Swiss People’s Party politician, who joined Zug’s government in 2006 and is now Switzerland’s longest-serving cantonal minister.
Heinz Tännler will remain finance director of Zug for another term. On Sunday, voters returned him to the canton’s seven-member government for a fifth time since he first took office in 2006. Tännler, 66, is now Switzerland’s longest-serving member of a cantonal executive.
Zug has 11 municipalities and about 135,000 residents, while its equity exceeds 3 billion Swiss francs. Tännler calls the finance director’s role a “great” job in a canton with stable public finances. He rejects the suggestion that he is clinging to office, saying the Swiss People’s Party had struggled to prepare a suitable successor but expects to do so before the next election in four years.
Colleagues describe Tännler as energetic, demanding of himself and his team, well versed in his briefs and supportive of staff. His workday starts at about 5 a.m., his schedule is tightly packed, and he prefers paper documents to digital ones.
Tännler made several unsuccessful bids to move into federal politics, including campaigns for the Council of States and the Federal Council. At cantonal level, one major issue is Zug’s contribution to Switzerland’s fiscal equalisation system: the canton is paying 467 million francs this year, with next year’s contribution expected to exceed half a billion.
Shortage of affordable housing is another challenge. The government has planned 21 measures, including special zones intended to speed up homebuilding. Tännler says he wants to serve the full term and remains motivated by the work and political debate.