List of members of the Swiss Federal Council
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The seven members of the Swiss Federal Council (German: Schweizerischer Bundesrat; French: Conseil fédéral suisse; Italian: Consiglio federale svizzero; Romansh: Cussegl federal svizzer) constitute the federal government of Switzerland and collectively serve as the country's head of state. Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a department of the Swiss federal administration.[1]
The current Swiss Federal Councillors are: Guy Parmelin (first elected in 2015), Ignazio Cassis (first elected in 2017), Karin Keller-Sutter (first elected in 2018), Albert Rösti (first elected in 2022), Élisabeth Baume-Schneider (first elected in 2022), Beat Jans (first elected in 2023), and Martin Pfister (first elected in 2025).
The members of the Federal Council are elected for a term of four years by both chambers of the federal parliament sitting together as the United Federal Assembly. Each Federal Councillor is elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of votes. People elected to the Federal Council are considered a Federal Councillor even if they decline the election.[2] Accordingly, the five persons who were elected but never assumed office are listed in a separate table below. For the same reason, the principal table only records the date of election and not the date on which the Federal Councillors assumed their office.
Once elected for a four-year-term, Federal Councillors can neither be voted out of office by a motion of no confidence nor can they be impeached. Reelection is possible for an indefinite number of terms. The Federal Assembly has decided not to reelect a sitting Federal Councillor four times and only twice (in 2003 and 2007) since the beginning of the 21st century. In practice, therefore, Federal Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office.[3]
Members
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Legend:
Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) after 1894; previously a more or less coherent group of Liberals, Radicals and Democrats.[14] In January 2009, it merged with the Liberal Party (LPS/PLS) and became FDP.The Liberals.
Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC); in 2021, it merged into The Centre.
Liberal Party (LPS/PLS); since January 2009, the party has merged with the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) in order to form FDP.The Liberals.
Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) after 1971; previously the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB/PAI) and associated minor parties.
Social Democratic Party (SPS/PSS)
Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD)
The Federal Councillors currently serving are indicated with bold type.
Members who declined their election
[edit]Five people have declined their election to the Federal Council by the Federal Assembly. Their number here is that of the Federal Councillor in the list above who was later elected in their place.
| No. | Name | Canton | Election | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (10) | Johann Jakob Stehlin | BS | 11 July 1855 | FDP/PRD | |
| (23) | Louis Ruchonnet | VD | 10 December 1875 | FDP/PRD | Later elected as the 26th Councillor. |
| (23) | Charles Estoppey | VD | 18 December 1875 | FDP/PRD | |
| (26) | Karl Hoffmann | SG | 22 February 1881 | FDP/PRD | |
| (100) | Francis Matthey | NE | 3 March 1993 | SPS/PSS |
Timeline
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Notes and references
[edit]- ↑ Swiss Federal Constitution / Bundesverfassung (BV) / Constitution fédérale (Cst.) / Costituzione federale (Cost.) of 1999-02-07, SR/RS 101 (E·D·F·I), art. 177 (E·D·F·I).
- ↑ This is the prevailing reading of the relevant constitutional provision: Swiss Federal Constitution / Bundesverfassung (BV) / Constitution fédérale (Cst.) / Costituzione federale (Cost.) of 1999-02-07, SR/RS 101 (E·D·F·I), art. 175 (E·D·F·I).
- ↑ "Federal Council" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ↑ For the abbreviations, see Data codes for Switzerland: Cantons. Up until 1987, the Federal Chancellery recorded the Councillors' legal place of origin. From 1987 on, the canton in which the Councillors live has been recorded, or, for councillors who were members of the Federal Assembly, the canton whose population they represented.
- ↑ The names of the federal departments have changed over the years. Generic names have been used as much as possible.
- ↑ The sequence number indicates to which of the seven seats (denoted by the letters A to G) the Councillor was elected.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 As President of the Confederation. The department used to be held by Councillors during the annually changing office of President of the Confederation.
- ↑ "Ulrich Ochsenbein" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ↑ Philippe Chenaux: "Jean-Jacques Challet (-Venel)" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 16 September 2003.
- ↑ "Fridolin Anderwert" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ↑ Franz Xaver Bischof: "Ruth Metzler (-Arnold)" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 27 November 2007.
- ↑ "Schmid announces resignation". Swissinfo. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
- ↑ "Blocher ousted by Swiss parliament". Swissinfo. 12 December 2007. Archived from the original on 26 December 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
- ↑ "Beginnings of the Free Democratic Party" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
External links
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- "Federal Council" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery. "The Swiss Confederation: A brief guide 2007". Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- Services of the Swiss Parliament. "Resultate der Wahlen des Bundesrats, der Bundeskanzler und des Generals" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery. "Chronological index of Federal Councillors". Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery. "Members of the Federal Council who declined election". Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- Church, Clive H. (2004). The Politics and Government of Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-69277-2.
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