Didier Burkhalter is a Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 politician of FDP.The Liberals

FDP.The Liberals

FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....

. He is a member of the Swiss Federal Council

Swiss Federal Council

The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....

 who was elected on 16 September 2009, and succeeded Pascal Couchepin

Pascal Couchepin

Pascal Couchepin is a Swiss politician, former member of the Swiss Federal Council and President of the Confederation in 2003 and 2008...

 on 1 November 2009 when he became head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (the Swiss interior minister

Interior minister

An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...

).

A native of the Canton of Neuchâtel

Canton of Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel is a canton of French speaking western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.-History:...

, he was member of the parliament of the Canton of Neuchâtel from 1990 to 2001. From 2003 to 2007, Burkhalter was a member of the Swiss National Council. He has a degree in economics.

On 11 November 2007, he was elected to the Council of States

Swiss Council of States

The Council of States of Switzerland is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, and is considered the Assembly's upper house. There are 46 Councillors....

, along with Social Democratic Party (SP)

Social Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 candidate Gisèle Ory

Gisèle Ory

Gisèle Ory is a politician from the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. She is a member of the Socialist Party. In 1996 she was elected to the Communal Council of Neuchâtel, the local Parliament. In 2001 she was elected to the National Council...

, who was re-elected for a second term. Pierre Bonhôte, the other social democratic incumbent, was not re-elected. During the election campaign, Burkhalter was backed by the Liberal Party (PLS)

Liberal Party of Switzerland

The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party to establish FDP.The Liberals....

 and the SVP/UDC

Swiss People's Party

The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...

, though the SVP/UDC scarcely endorsed him publicly.

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