- List of members of the Swiss Federal Council
-
For a chronological list of Councillors serving together, see List of members of the Swiss Federal Council by date.
The Swiss Federal Council in 2011
This is a list of members of the Swiss Federal Council (German: Schweizerischer Bundesrat; French: Conseil fédéral suisse; Italian: Consiglio federale svizzero; Romansh: Cussegl federal svizzer). The Council's seven members constitute the federal government of Switzerland and serve as the country's head of state. Each of the seven Councillors heads a department of the Swiss federal administration.[1]
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 Federal Assembly. Each Councillor is elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of votes. A person elected to the Council by the Federal Assembly is considered a Federal Councillor even if he or she declines the election.[2] Accordingly, the five persons who did so and 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 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. Re-election is possible for an indefinite number of terms. Parliament has decided not to re-elect a sitting Councillor only four times, and only twice (in 2003 and 2007) since the beginning of the 20th century. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office.[3]
Contents
Members
# Name Picture Canton[4] Election Left office Department headed[5] Party Notes Seq[6] 1 Jonas Furrer 
ZH November 16, 1848 July 25, 1861 Foreign affairs,[7] Justice FDP/PRD Died in office A01 2 Ulrich Ochsenbein 
BE November 16, 1848 December 6, 1854 Defence FDP/PRD Not re-elected[8] B01 3 Henri Druey 
VD November 16, 1848 March 29, 1855 Justice, Foreign affairs,[7] Finance FDP/PRD Died in office C01 4 Josef Munzinger 
SO November 16, 1848 February 6, 1855 Finance, Foreign affairs,[7]
Posts and Construction,
Trade and CustomsFDP/PRD Died in office D01 5 Stefano Franscini 
TI November 16, 1848 July 19, 1857 Home affairs FDP/PRD Died in office E01 6 Friedrich Frey-Herosé 
AG November 16, 1848 December 31, 1866 Trade and Customs, Foreign affairs,[7]
DefenceFDP/PRD F01 7 Wilhelm Matthias Naeff 
SG November 16, 1848 December 31, 1875 Posts and Construction, Foreign affairs,[7]
Trade and Customs, Posts,
Finance, Railway and TradeFDP/PRD G01 8 Jakob Stämpfli 
BE December 6, 1854 December 31, 1863 Justice, Foreign affairs,[7]
Finance, DefenceFDP/PRD B02 9 Constant Fornerod 
VD July 11, 1855 October 31, 1867 Trade and Customs, Foreign affairs,[7]
Finance, DefenceFDP/PRD C02 10 Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel 
LU July 14, 1855 December 31, 1875 Finance, Trade and Customs, Justice,
Foreign affairs,[7] Home affairsFDP/PRD Elected after Johann Jakob Stehlin declined the election D02 11 Giovanni Battista Pioda 
TI July 30, 1857 January 26, 1864 Home affairs FDP/PRD E02 12 Jakob Dubs 
ZH July 30, 1861 May 28, 1872 Justice, Foreign affairs,[7]
Home affairs, PostsFDP/PRD A02 13 Karl Schenk 
BE December 12, 1863 July 18, 1895 Home affairs, Finance,
Railway and TradeFDP/PRD Died in office B03 14 Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel 
GE July 12, 1864 December 7, 1872 Finance, Posts FDP/PRD Not re-elected[9] E03 15 Emil Welti 
AG December 8, 1866 December 31, 1891 Defence, Trade and Customs,
Posts and Telegraph,
Posts and Railways, JusticeFDP/PRD F02 16 Victor Ruffy 
VD December 6, 1867 December 29, 1869 Finance, Defence FDP/PRD Died in office C03 17 Paul Cérésole 
VD February 1, 1870 December 31, 1875 Finance, Defence,
Foreign affairs,[7] JusticeFDP/PRD C04 18 Johann Jakob Scherer 
ZH July 12, 1872 December 23, 1878 Finance, Railway and Trade,
Foreign affairs,[7] DefenceFDP/PRD Died in office A03 19 Eugène Borel 
NE December 7, 1872 December 31, 1875 Posts and Telegraph FDP/PRD E04 20 Joachim Heer 
GL December 10, 1875 December 31, 1878 Posts and Telegraph, Foreign affairs,[7]
Railway and TradeFDP/PRD D03 21 Fridolin Anderwert 
TG December 10, 1875 December 25, 1880 Justice FDP/PRD Died in office
(committed suicide)[10]G02 22 Bernhard Hammer 
SO December 10, 1875 December 31, 1890 Finance, Defence FDP/PRD E05 23 Numa Droz 
NE December 18, 1875 December 18, 1892 Home affairs, Trade and Agriculture,
Foreign affairsFDP/PRD Elected after Antoine Louis John Ruchonnet and Charles Estoppey declined the election. C05 24 Simeon Bavier 
GR December 10, 1878 January 5, 1883 Finance, Posts and Railways, Foreign affairs[7] FDP/PRD D04 25 Wilhelm Hertenstein 
ZH March 21, 1879 November 27, 1888 Defence FDP/PRD Died in office A04 26 Louis Ruchonnet 
VD March 3, 1881 September 14, 1893 Economic affairs, Justice, Foreign affairs[7] FDP/PRD Elected after Karl Hoffmann declined his election. Died in office G03 27 Adolf Deucher 
TG April 10, 1883 July 10, 1912 Justice, Posts and Railways, Economic affairs, Foreign affairs[7] FDP/PRD Died in office D05 28 Walter Hauser 
ZH December 13, 1888 October 22, 1902 Defence, Finance, Foreign affairs[7] FDP/PRD Died in office A05 29 Emil Frey 
BL December 11, 1890 March 11, 1897 Defence FDP/PRD E06 30 Joseph Zemp 
LU December 17, 1891 June 17, 1908 Posts and Railways, Foreign affairs[7] CVP/PDC F03 31 Adrien Lachenal 
GE December 15, 1892 December 31, 1899 Foreign affairs, Economic affairs, Home affairs FDP/PRD C06 32 Eugène Ruffy 
VD December 14, 1893 October 31, 1899 Justice, Home affairs,
Foreign affairs,[7] DefenceFDP/PRD G04 33 Eduard Müller 
BE August 16, 1895 November 9, 1919 Justice, Defence,
Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD Died in office B04 34 Ernst Brenner 
BS March 25, 1897 March 11, 1911 Justice, Foreign affairs[7] FDP/PRD Died in office E07 35 Robert Comtesse 
NE December 14, 1899 March 4, 1912 Finance, Justice,
Posts and Railways, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD C07 36 Marc-Emile Ruchet 
VD December 14, 1899 July 9, 1912 Home affairs, Finance,
Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD G05 37 Ludwig Forrer 
ZH December 11, 1902 December 7, 1917 Economic affairs, Home affairs, Foreign affairs,[7] Defence, Justice, Posts and Railways FDP/PRD A06 38 Josef Anton Schobinger 
LU June 17, 1908 November 27, 1911 Justice, Economic affairs, Finance, Home affairs CVP/PDC F04 39 Arthur Hoffmann 
SG April 4, 1911 June 19, 1917 Justice, Defence,
Foreign affairsFDP/PRD E08 40 Giuseppe Motta 
TI December 14, 1911 January 23, 1940 Finance, Foreign affairs CVP/PDC F05 41 Louis Perrier 
NE March 12, 1912 May 16, 1913 Posts and Railways, Home affairs FDP/PRD C08 42 Camille Decoppet 
VD July 17, 1912 November 7, 1919 Home affairs, Justice, Defence FDP/PRD G06 43 Edmund Schulthess 
AG July 17, 1912 April 15, 1935 Economic affairs, Economic affairs FDP/PRD D06 44 Felix Calonder 
GR June 12, 1913 February 12, 1920 Home affairs, Foreign affairs[7] FDP/PRD C09 45 Gustave Ador 
GE June 26, 1917 December 31, 1919 Foreign affairs, Home affairs LPS/PLS E09 46 Robert Haab 
ZH December 13, 1917 December 31, 1929 Posts and Railways FDP/PRD A07 47 Karl Scheurer 
BE December 11, 1919 November 14, 1929 Defence FDP/PRD Died in office B05 48 Ernest Chuard 
VD December 11, 1919 December 31, 1928 Home affairs FDP/PRD G07 49 Jean-Marie Musy 
FR December 11, 1919 April 30, 1934 Finance CVP/PDC E10 50 Heinrich Häberlin 
TG February 12, 1920 March 12, 1934 Justice FDP/PRD C10 51 Marcel Pilet-Golaz 
VD December 13, 1928 November 7, 1944 Home affairs, Posts and Railways,
Foreign affairsFDP/PRD G08 52 Rudolf Minger 
BE December 12, 1929 December 31, 1940 Defence SVP/UDC B06 53 Albert Meyer 
ZH December 12, 1929 December 31, 1938 Home affairs, Finance FDP/PRD A08 54 Johannes Baumann 
AR March 22, 1934 December 31, 1940 Justice FDP/PRD C11 55 Philipp Etter 
ZG March 28, 1934 November 19, 1959 Home affairs CVP/PDC E11 56 Hermann Obrecht 
SO April 4, 1935 June 20, 1940 Economic affairs FDP/PRD D07 57 Ernst Wetter 
ZH December 15, 1938 December 31, 1943 Finance FDP/PRD A09 58 Enrico Celio 
TI February 22, 1940 June 23, 1950 Posts and Railways CVP/PDC F06 59 Walther Stampfli 
SO July 18, 1940 November 18, 1947 Economic affairs FDP/PRD D08 60 Eduard von Steiger 
BE December 10, 1940 November 9, 1951 Justice SVP/UDC B07 61 Karl Kobelt 
SG December 10, 1940 November 5, 1954 Defence FDP/PRD C12 62 Ernst Nobs 
ZH December 15, 1943 November 13, 1951 Finance SPS/PSS A10 63 Max Petitpierre 
NE December 14, 1944 June 30, 1961 Foreign affairs FDP/PRD G09 64 Rodolphe Rubattel 
VD December 11, 1947 November 1, 1954 Economic affairs FDP/PRD D09 65 Josef Escher 
VS September 14, 1950 November 26, 1954 Posts and Railways CVP/PDC F07 66 Markus Feldmann 
BE December 13, 1951 November 3, 1958 Justice SVP/UDC B08 67 Max Weber 
ZH December 13, 1951 December 8, 1953 Finance SPS/PSS A11 68 Hans Streuli 
ZH December 22, 1953 November 19, 1959 Finance FDP/PRD A12 69 Thomas Holenstein 
SG December 16, 1954 November 20, 1959 Economic affairs CVP/PDC F08 70 Paul Chaudet 
VD December 16, 1954 November 28, 1966 Defence FDP/PRD D10 71 Giuseppe Lepori 
TI December 16, 1954 November 24, 1959 Posts and Railways CVP/PDC C13 72 Friedrich Traugott Wahlen 
BE December 11, 1958 December 31, 1965 Justice, Economic affairs,
Foreign affairsSVP/UDC B09 73 Jean Bourgknecht 
FR December 17, 1959 September 3, 1962 Finance CVP/PDC E12 74 Willy Spühler 
ZH December 17, 1959 January 31, 1970 Posts and Railways,
Transport, Energy, Communications,
Foreign affairsSPS/PSS A13 75 Ludwig von Moos 
OW December 17, 1959 December 31, 1971 Justice CVP/PDC F09 76 Hans-Peter Tschudi 
BS December 17, 1959 December 31, 1973 Home affairs SPS/PSS C14 77 Hans Schaffner 
AG June 15, 1961 December 31, 1969 Economic affairs FDP/PRD G10 78 Roger Bonvin 
VS September 27, 1962 December 31, 1973 Finance,
Transport, Energy, CommunicationsCVP/PDC E13 79 Rudolf Gnägi 
BE December 8, 1965 December 31, 1979 Transport, Energy, Communications,
DefenceSVP/UDC B10 80 Nello Celio 
TI December 15, 1966 December 31, 1973 Defence, Finance FDP/PRD D11 81 Pierre Graber 
NE December 10, 1969 January 31, 1978 Foreign affairs SPS/PSS A14 82 Ernst Brugger 
ZH December 10, 1969 January 31, 1978 Economic affairs FDP/PRD G11 83 Kurt Furgler 
SG December 8, 1971 December 31, 1986 Justice, Economic affairs CVP/PDC F10 84 Willi Ritschard 
SO December 5, 1973 October 3, 1983 Transport, Energy, Communications,
FinanceSPS/PSS Died in office C15 85 Hans Hürlimann 
ZG December 5, 1973 December 31, 1982 Home affairs CVP/PDC E14 86 Georges-André Chevallaz 
VD December 5, 1973 December 31, 1983 Finance, Defence FDP/PRD D12 87 Fritz Honegger 
ZH December 7, 1977 December 31, 1982 Economic affairs FDP/PRD G12 88 Pierre Aubert 
NE December 7, 1977 December 31, 1987 Foreign affairs SPS/PSS A15 89 Leon Schlumpf 
GR December 5, 1979 December 31, 1987 Transport, Energy, Communications SVP/UDC B11 90 Alphons Egli 
LU December 8, 1982 December 31, 1986 Home affairs CVP/PDC E15 91 Rudolf Friedrich 
ZH December 8, 1982 October 20, 1984 Justice FDP/PRD G13 92 Otto Stich 
SO December 7, 1983 October 31, 1995 Finance SPS/PSS C16 93 Jean-Pascal Delamuraz 
VD December 7, 1983 March 30, 1998 Defence, Economic affairs FDP/PRD D13 94 Elisabeth Kopp 
ZH October 2, 1984 January 12, 1989 Justice FDP/PRD G14 95 Arnold Koller 
AI December 10, 1986 January 13, 1999 Justice, Defence CVP/PDC F11 96 Flavio Cotti 
TI December 10, 1986 January 13, 1999 Home affairs, Foreign affairs CVP/PDC E16 97 René Felber 
NE December 9, 1987 March 31, 1993 Foreign affairs SPS/PSS A16 98 Adolf Ogi 
BE December 9, 1987 December 31, 2000 Transport, Energy, Communications,
DefenceSVP/UDC B12 99 Kaspar Villiger 
LU February 1, 1989 December 31, 2003 Defence, Finance FDP/PRD G15 100 Ruth Dreifuss 
GE March 10, 1993 December 31, 2002 Home affairs SPS/PSS Elected after Francis Matthey declined the election. A17 101 Moritz Leuenberger 
ZH September 27, 1995 November 1, 2010 Transport, Energy, Communications SPS/PSS C17 102 Pascal Couchepin 
VS March 11, 1998 October 31, 2009 Economic affairs, Home affairs FDP/PRD D14 103 Ruth Metzler-Arnold 
AI March 11, 1999 December 31, 2003 Justice CVP/PDC Not re-elected[11] F12 104 Joseph Deiss 
FR March 11, 1999 July 31, 2006 Foreign affairs, Economic affairs CVP/PDC E17 105 Samuel Schmid 
BE December 6, 2000 December 31, 2008[12] Defence BDP Elected as SVP/UDC member. B13 106 Micheline Calmy-Rey 
GE December 4, 2002 announced retirement per 31.12.2011 Foreign affairs SPS/PSS A18 107 Christoph Blocher 
ZH December 10, 2003 December 31, 2007 Justice SVP/UDC Not re-elected.[13] F13 108 Hans-Rudolf Merz 
AR December 10, 2003 November 1, 2010 Finance FDP/PRD G16 109 Doris Leuthard 
AG June 14, 2006 — Economic Affairs,
Transport, Energy, CommunicationsCVP/PDC E18 110 Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf 
GR December 12, 2007 — Justice,
FinanceBDP Elected as SVP/UDC member. F14 111 Ueli Maurer 
ZH December 10, 2008 — Defence SVP/UDC B14 112 Didier Burkhalter 
NE September 16, 2009 — Home affairs FDP/PRD D15 113 Simonetta Sommaruga 
BE September 22, 2010 — Justice SPS/PSS C18 114 Johann Schneider-Ammann 
BE September 22, 2010 — Economic affairs FDP/PRD G17 Legend:
Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) after 1894; previously a more or less coherent group of Liberals, Radicals and Democrats[14]Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) after 1971; previously Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB/PAI) and associated minor partiesThe Councillors currently serving are indicated with bold type.
Members who declined their election
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.
# Name Canton Election Party Notes 10 Johann Jakob Stehlin BS July 11, 1855 FDP/PRD 23 Antoine Louis John Ruchonnet VD December 10, 1875 FDP/PRD Later elected as
26th member.23 Charles Estoppey VD December 18, 1875 FDP/PRD 26 Karl Hoffmann SG February 22, 1881 FDP/PRD 100 Francis Matthey NE March 3, 1993 SPS/PSS Notes
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x 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. Version of 2003-09-16.
- ^ 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. Version of 2007-11-27.
- ^ "Schmid announces resignation". Swissinfo. 12 November 2008. http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/Schmid_announces_resignation.html?siteSect=105&sid=9960564. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- ^ "Blocher ousted by Swiss parliament". Swissinfo. December 12, 2007. http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/Blocher_ousted_by_Swiss_parliament.html?siteSect=105&sid=8522133.
- ^ Beginnings of the Free Democratic Party in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
References
- Federal Council in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery. "The Swiss Confederation: A brief guide 2007". http://www.bk.admin.ch/dokumentation/02070/index.html?lang=en. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- Services of the Swiss Parliament. "Resultate der Wahlen des Bundesrats, der Bundeskanzler und des Generals" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2008-02-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20080227092439/http://www.parlament.ch/SiteCollectionDocuments/wa-br-wahlresultate.pdf. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery. "Chronological index of Federal Councillors". Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20080102050723/http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/cf/br/index2.html. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- Swiss Federal Chancellery. "Members of the Federal Council who declined election". Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20080203142013/http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/cf/br/index3.html. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- Church, Clive H. (2004). The Politics and Government of Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-69277-2.
Swiss Federal Council Current members Micheline Calmy-Rey (Pres. 2011) · Doris Leuthard · Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (VP 2011) · Ueli Maurer · Didier Burkhalter · Simonetta Sommaruga · Johann Schneider-Ammann
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