Ylfete Fanaj, a Lucerne trailblazer

Sursee shaped her as a person, says Fanaj, who became a Swiss citizen there at the age of 20. Fanaj was good at school but only obtained a commercial apprenticeship after receiving 200 rejections – an experience that she shared with other teenagers from the Balkans. But young Ylfete was willing to work hard. She completed a vocational university entrance diploma and studied social work before becoming the cantonal integration officer of Nidwalden. Fanaj’s political career in Lucerne took the classic Swiss route from bottom to top – from city council to cantonal parliament, from faction leader to speaker. She is now a member of government in the predominantly conservative canton of Lucerne. Her story has attracted considerable attention in both Switzerland and Kosovo. “Change is possible,” was her response. Fanaj, who has a young son, has blazed a trail but refuses to make a fuss. Lucerne’s cantonal government “now reflects our diverse society”, she says instead.

SUSANNE WENGER