Philippe Nantermod, 31, will be going to Bern: «I have a liberal vision of Switzerland».»

Philippe Nantermod from Valais joins the National Council at the age of 31. Philippe Nantermod, from the Chablais region, owes his election to his commitment: vice-president of the Young Swiss Liberal-Radicals from 2007 to 2012, then co-president of the section from 2012 to 2013, deputy member of the Valais Grand Council from 2009 to 2013, then member of parliament, secretary general of the Union of Independents from 2012 to the present day... His slogan: «Guts, heart, always». One month after the results, Philippe Nantermod answered our questions about his project for Switzerland and his vision for the future of the Liberal-Radical Party (PLR).

Le Regard LibreYou were elected, but the PLR did not win its two seats. Jean-René Germanier will not be standing for a fourth term. Were you expecting this scenario?

Philippe Nantermod: I'd say it was a possibility, but an unfortunate one. We made some strategic mistakes, some mistakes in our work. To put it bluntly, we didn't run a good campaign. My election is a personal victory, but a group failure.

How do you interpret the SVP's new surge?

First of all, we have to acknowledge that we still have a strong conservative wave that is doing well in Switzerland, just as it is doing well throughout Europe. The conservative values that the CVP has abandoned, the SVP has taken up. Secondly, you can't be totally disconnected from topical issues, such as the migration crisis. This worked in their favor.

What were the highlights of the campaign?

The September 11 support dinner was attended by over 200 people. It was a moment of sharing with fantastic people. We also organized two theme evenings: one in St-Maurice on the place of women in public life, and one in St-Gingolph on transport policy. We were fortunate to have some talented speakers, such as the General Secretary of the Swiss Liberal-Radical Women, Claudine Esseivaz, at the Saint-Maurice event, and French Senator Cyril Pellevat at the Saint-Gingolph event. These «meetings» created some very powerful moments in the campaign. Of course, there were also the various morning markets. I loved the Sion market, where we served raclette. As for the PLR meetings, the Sierre convention was the best of all; there were a lot of people there. That day, I really thought we'd get two seats. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Finally, the most intense moment was when I realized I was going to sit in Berne. I'll never forget that moment.

What are the most important political projects you intend to pursue in Berne?

I have a liberal vision of Switzerland. I will defend it with all my might in Berne. A whole program is on my website. I've started to extract a few elements that I intend to defend on the National Council. First of all, the liberalization of society from an economic point of view, which means liberalizing transport (by easing constraints on private transport, liberalizing bus routes, etc.) and also, for example, liberalizing the hotel industry.

Secondly, I want to defend individual freedom, which is threatened in the private sphere. It's interesting to note that the same people who say that banking secrecy is over are the same ones who advocate tax amnesty. But I'm against tax amnesties: there's no reason why people should receive tax gifts at the end of their working life. But those who have paid their taxes must be protected against intrusion by the state. I don't want the state to have information about my income, my bank accounts, etc. I don't want the state to have information about me. My vision of the State is that of a State that looks after its regalian tasks. This may involve economic, social or societal issues.

Another of my political projects concerns civil and criminal law. Civil law needs to be updated - for example, inheritance law is ill-suited to blended families. As for criminal law, it has become intolerably lax (in terms of integration, for example). I want to make a clear commitment to dissuasive criminal law.

What do you see as the future of the PLR?

I see a bright future for him at Swiss and Valaisan level. We're a party that has found its feet. People who were very involved in the party thought we were too far to the right; those outside the PLR thought we were too far to the left. The merger with the Liberals enabled us to realize that we were another right-wing party: we're not a conservative right-wing party, we're a liberal right-wing party. It's a sort of return to our roots, and it's working. We have a very clear line, which is why we're winning votes at federal level. We don't need to disguise ourselves to win. In short, I've never felt more at home in the party than I do now.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com