Surprise in Neuchâtel as Laurent Favre resigns from cantonal government

Neuchâtel’s cantonal government is set to lose its longest-serving member. Laurent Favre of the Liberal-Radical Party announced that he will leave the executive at the end of March 2027, midway through his term.

Favre has led the Department of Territorial Development and the Environment since entering office in November 2014. Voters have re-elected him three times. He said he would explain the reasons for his unexpected resignation at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

His departure will trigger a by-election in the coming months. The Liberal-Radical Party is widely expected to try to retain the seat, but the Swiss People’s Party could mount a challenge.

The vote could also disrupt the strategies of Neuchâtel’s parties ahead of the October 2027 federal elections. Favre previously served in the National Council from 2007 to 2014, prompting speculation about whether he might seek a return to federal office.

One possible question is whether he could try to reclaim the Council of States seat that his party colleague Philippe Bauer lost in 2023 to Green politician Céline Vara. Favre, 53, finished third in the March 2025 cantonal elections, behind Socialists Frédéric Mairy and Florence Nater, but ahead of Vara and fellow Liberal-Radical candidate Crystel Graf.