Markus Ritter (politician)
Markus Ritter | |
|---|---|
_(cropped_3x4).jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of the National Council (Switzerland) | |
| Assumed office 5 December 2011 | |
| Constituency | Canton of St. Gallen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Markus Vinzenz Ritter 19 April 1967 Altstätten, St. Gallen |
| Political party | The Centre |
| Spouse | Heidi Haltiner |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | Parliament website Official website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Switzerland |
| Rank | Gefreiter (Private E-2) |
Markus Vinzenz Ritter (German pronunciation: [ˈmaʁkʊs ˈʁɪtɐ]; born 19 April 1967) is a Swiss farmer, lobbyist and politician who currently serves on the National Council (Switzerland) for The Centre since 2011.[1] He concurrently serves as president of the Swiss Farmers' Union since 2012.[2] He is known as a lobbyist for agriculture-related issues.[3]
On 28 January 2025, he was nominated by the Centre Party of St. Gallen as a candidate to succeed Viola Amherd on the Federal Council (Switzerland) as head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport.[4][5] He lost the election to Martin Pfister of Zug.[6]
Early life and education
[edit]Ritter was born 19 April 1967 in Altstätten, Switzerland, one of seven children, to Albert Ritter (1925–1983), a farmer originally from Hinterforst, and Helena Ritter (née Baumgartner; died 2024).[7][8]
He completed studies in engineering management (University of Applied Sciences) and a Master's degree in agriculture.
Political career
[edit]Ritter was a member of the city council (German: Stadtrat) of Altstätten from 1993 to 2012 as a member of the CVP.[9] In 2011, Ritter was elected into the National Council, representing the Canton of St. Gallen, and assumed office on 5 December of the same year.[4][10][11] Additionally, he was elected as the president of the Swiss Farmers' Union on 21 November 2012 as the successor of Hansjörg Walter.[4][12]
Personal life
[edit]Markus Ritter is married to Heidi Ritter. They have three children.[13]
Since 1989, Ritter has cultivated the family farm in Altstätten, and has also taken ownership of the farm of his in-laws, which he continuously expanded. The farm is medium-sized at 28,2 hectares (roughly 70 acres) and mainly produces organic dairy and field fruits. On 1 January 2023, he sold his farm to his sons.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ratsmitglied ansehen". www.parlament.ch. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
- ^ "Vorstand". www.sbv-usp.ch. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
- ^ "Favorit bei Amherd-Nachfolge: Markus Ritter, Meister des Kuhhandels". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
- ^ a b c "Markus Ritter offiziell als Bundesratskandidat nominiert". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-06.
- ^ Tagesschau vom 25.01.2025: Hauptausgabe - Play SRF. Retrieved 2025-03-07 – via www.srf.ch.
- ^ Turuban, Katy Romy, Pauline (2025-03-07). "Strippenzieher Markus Ritter oder Dossier-Profi Martin Pfister?". SWI swissinfo.ch (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Bote vom Untersee und Rhein 15 February 1983 — e-newspaperarchives.ch". www.e-newspaperarchives.ch. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
- ^ Todesanzeige Helena Ritter-Baumgartner se-blattenberg.ch (Pfarreiforum Januar 2024)
- ^ Jordan, Pierrik (12 February 2025). "Markus Ritter: "Les gens des villes ne sont pas aussi politisés que ceux de la campagne"". rts.ch (in French). Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ Steiner, Simone (28 January 2025). "Markus Ritter will Bundesrat werden: Die wichtigsten Punkte zu seiner Kandidatur". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). TX Group. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "Markus Ritter". www.parlament.ch (in German). Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ Hofmann, Markus (22 November 2012). "Der alte Präsident ist Vorbild des neuen". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). No. 273. NZZ Mediengruppe. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "Hausbesuch bei Bundesratskandidat Markus Ritter". Schweizer Illustrierte (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2025-03-12.
- ^ "Markus Ritter verkauft seinen Betrieb". www.schweizerbauer.ch (in German). 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
