Carlo Sommaruga (born 8 July 1959) is a Swiss lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP). He has been a National Councilor for over a decade and since 2019 he is a member of the Council of States.
Carlo Sommaruga | |
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| Member of the Council of States of Switzerland | |
| Assumed office 2019 | |
| Member of the National Council | |
| In office 2003–2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1959 Zürich, Switzerland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party of Switzerland |
Early life and education
He was born into a family with a political background in Zürich. His father is Cornelio Sommaruga, a former diplomat and president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He grew up in Geneva, where he studied law at the University of Geneva.[1] He obtained his lawyers license in 1989.[2] Subsequently, Sommaruga attended the Graduate Institute of Development Studies in 1984-1985.[3]
Political career
Between 1991 and 2001 he was a member of the municipal council of Thônex and a member of the Grand Council of Geneva from 2001 to 2003.[4] He became a member of the National Council in 2003[4] and was re-elected until 2019. In November 2019 he was elected into the Council of States representing the SP for the Canton of Geneva.[5]
Political positions
In 2007 he suggested that members of the Swiss diaspora were to be represented in Parliament, which in 2009 was voted down by the Council of States.[6] Since 2017 Sommaruga was a main force behind a law which would have prohibited nuclear weapons in Switzerland, both signed by the National council and the Counci of States,[7] but on request of the Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis, the Federal Council refused to sign it.[8]
As a member of the National Council, he was the co-president of the Parliamentarian Group for the relations to the Kurdish people.[9] He was also critical to the Israeli incursion into the Gaza strip in 2008–2009 and in 2017, he asked in the National Council if a prosecution would be launched against the Israeli politician Tzipi Livni, who visited Switzerland at the time.[10] Besides he is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement with other politicians of the SP.[11]
Professional career
He is a lawyer for the tenants' association of Switzerland in Geneva[1] and in November 2016, he was elected their president.[12][13] Since 2018, he is also the president of the board of directors of the Swiss branch of the European NGO for social justice Solidar.[14]
References
