The debate has been sparked by a seamless move from the Aargau Department of Construction into property development. Stephan Attiger is stepping down from the cantonal government on 31 December 2026 and, from 1 January 2027, is set to take up a newly created role at the Markstein Group in Baden, where he will oversee site developments and act as a liaison with political bodies.
The Cantonal Government considers the move to be compatible with the applicable rules, based on the information available to date. Attiger informed the full council on 19 August 2026 of his future role and had previously checked whether there had been any overlap with Markstein during his term of office. According to the cantonal government, the Department of Construction, Transport and the Environment is not aware of any cases in which the company has submitted applications or sought permits in its own name.
No recusal in sight
The canton therefore currently sees no grounds for Attiger to recuse himself from ongoing business. This is a contentious issue because Attiger has headed the Department of Construction, Transport and the Environment since 2013 and is thus responsible for spatial planning, transport, the environment and energy. In land-use development in particular, political consultation, planning and authorisation procedures run very closely alongside one another. For SP members of the Grand Council, Lelia Hunziker and Mia Jenni, this was reason enough to question the Cantonal Government about potential conflicts of interest, ongoing procedures and the adequacy of the current rules.
The Government Council’s response relies on existing safeguards. Confidential information remains subject to official secrecy, even after leaving office. Should Attiger nevertheless be involved in a particular matter, the rules on recusal would have to be applied. According to the canton, however, no such case is foreseeable until the end of 2026.
Grey area regarding indirect mandates
This does not entirely dispel the political sensitivity of the matter. Markstein not only acts as a developer but also advises building clients on projects. In such scenarios, the company may remain in the background vis-à-vis the canton. The cantonal government also acknowledges that such downstream services are not necessarily apparent to the BVU. This is precisely where the sticking point lies for the property sector, because influence and prior knowledge at points of interface often operate informally and are not only evident in formal application documents.
Cooling-off period stands no chance
Nevertheless, the cantonal government does not wish to introduce acooling-offperiod. It argues that career changes are a reality of life, that the officially protected duty of confidentiality is sufficient, and that additional waiting periods would raise new questions regarding transitional compensation and the future career prospects of executive board members. Politically, the matter is therefore far from settled. For developers, investors and public sector clients, it illustrates how quickly personnel decisions at the interface between the state and the property sector can become a matter of governance.
