Pascal Couchepin

Infobox President
name = Pascal Couchepin

---

imagesize = 250px
order = Member of the Swiss Federal Council
term_start = 01 January 1998
term_end =
predecessor = Jean-Pascal Delamuraz
successor =
order1 = President of Switzerland
vicepresident1 = Hans-Rudolf Merz
term_start1 = 01 January 2008
term_end1 =
predecessor1 = Micheline Calmy-Rey
successor1 =
vicepresident2 = Ruth Metzler-Arnold
term_start2 = 01 January 2003
term_end2 = 31 December 2003
predecessor2 = Kaspar Villiger
successor2 = Joseph Deiss
order4 = Home Affairs Minister
term_start4 = 01 January2003
term_end5 =
predecessor4 = Ruth Dreifuss
successor4 =
order5 = Economic Affairs Minister
term_start5 = 01 January 1998
term_end5 = 31 December 2002
predecessor5 = Jean-Pascal Delamuraz
successor5 = Joseph Deiss
spouse = Brigitte Rendu
birth_date = birth date and age|1942|04|05|df=y
birth_place = Martigny, Switzerland
alma_mater = University of Lausanne
party = FDP

Pascal Couchepin (born April 5, 1942) is a Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1998 and President of the Confederation in 2003 and 2008. He has been heading the Federal Department of Home Affairs (Swiss interior ministry) since 2003.

He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on March 11, 1998 as a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) and the canton of Valais. In 1998 he took over the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, in which position he fought against the Swiss government contributing any money to the $1.25 billion settlement between Swiss banks and Holocaust survivors. He was quoted as saying that "there is no reason for the Swiss Government to pay anything", as a government commission had shown "we did what was possible in the hard times of the war." [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E0DC1E3AF935A2575BC0A96E958260 New York Times] ] . In 2003 he moved to the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

He was the President of the Confederation in 2003. On 13 December 2006, he was elected vice-president of the Federal Council for 2007, and, on 12 December 2007 was elected President of the Confederation in 2008.

Previously, he had been Deputy Mayor (1976) and Mayor of Martigny (since 1984) and, from 1979 to 1998, member of the National Council.

Couchepin holds a DEA's degree in Law from the University of Lausanne, is father of three (2 daughters and a son) and has two grandchildren.

References

External links

* [http://www.edi.admin.ch/org/00339/00340/index.html?lang=en Official biography]
*Swiss Federal Councillor|107
*HDS|33757|Pascal Couchepin|author=Yves Fournier|date=2005-08-11
*Parliament.ch|50|language=French