Swiss Federal Council
Encyclopedia
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
.
While the entire council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Switzerland
, each Councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. The current members of the Federal Council are, in order of seniority:
as the "supreme executive and directorial authority of the Confederation".
When the Constitution was written, constitutional democracy was still in its infancy, and the founding fathers of Switzerland had little in the way of examples. While they drew heavily on the U.S. Constitution
for the organisation of the federal state as a whole, they opted for the collegial
rather than the president
ial system for the executive branch of government. This accommodated the long tradition of the rule of collective bodies in Switzerland. Under the Ancien Régime, the cantons
of the Old Swiss Confederacy
had been governed by councils of pre-eminent citizens since time immemorial, and the later Helvetic Republic
(with its equivalent Directorate
) as well as the cantons that had given themselves liberal constitutions since the 1830s had also had good experiences with that mode of governance.
Today, only three other states, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Andorra
and San Marino
, have collective rather than unitary heads of state. However the collegial system of government has found widespread adoption in modern democracies
in the form of cabinet government with collective responsibility.
The 1848 Constitution was one of the few successes of the democratic revolutions of 1848
. In Switzerland, the democratic movement was led and the new federal state decisively shaped by the Radicals (presently the Free Democratic Party
, FDP). After winning the Sonderbundskrieg (the Swiss civil war
) against the Catholic cantons, the Radicals at first used their majority in the Federal Assembly to fill all the seats on the Federal Council. This made their former war opponents, the Catholic-Conservatives (presently the Christian Democratic People's Party
, CVP), the opposition party. Only after Emil Welti
's resignation in 1891 after a failed referendum on railway nationalisation did the Radicals decide to co-opt the Conservatives by supporting the election of Josef Zemp
.
The process of involving all major political movements of Switzerland into the responsibility of government continued during the first half of the 20th century. It was hastened by the FDP's and CVP's gradually diminishing voter shares, complemented by the rise of new parties of lesser power at the ends of the political spectrum
. These were the Social Democratic Party
(SP) on the Left and the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB; presently the People's Party
, SVP) on the Right. In due course, the CVP received its second seat in 1919 with Jean-Marie Musy
, while the BGB joined the Council in 1929 with Rudolf Minger
. In 1943, during World War II
, the Social Democrats were also temporarily included with Ernst Nobs
.
The 1959 elections, following the resignation of four Councillors, finally established the Zauberformel, the "magical formula" that determined the Council's composition during the rest of the 20th century and established the long-standing nature of the Council as a permanent, voluntary grand coalition
. In approximate relation to the parties' respective strength in the Federal Assembly, the seats were distributed as follows:
During that time, the FDP and CVP very slowly but steadily kept losing voter share to the SVP and SPS, respectively, which overtook the older parties in popularity during the 1990s.
The governmental balance was changed after the 2003 elections, when the SVP was granted a Council seat for their leader Christoph Blocher
that had formerly belonged to the CVP's Ruth Metzler
. Due to controversies surrounding his conduct in office, a narrow Assembly majority did not reelect Blocher in 2007 and chose instead Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
, a more moderate SVP politician, against party policy. This led to a split of the SVP in 2008. After liberal regional SVP groups including Federal Councillors Widmer-Schlumpf and Samuel Schmid
founded a new Conservative Democratic Party, the SVP was left in opposition for the first time since 1929, but returned into the Council with the election of Ueli Maurer
on December 10, 2008, who regained the seat previously held by Schmid, who had resigned.
on the federal level in 1971. They remained unrepresented in the Federal Council for three further legislatures, until the 1984 election of Elisabeth Kopp
.
In 1983, the non-election of the first official female candidate, Lilian Uchtenhagen
and again in 1993 the non-election of Christiane Brunner
(both SP/PS), was controversial and the Social Democrats each time considered withdrawing from the Council altogether.
There were two female Councillors serving simultaneously for the first time in 2006, and three out of seven Councillors have been women from 2007 till 2010 when Simonetta Sommaruga
was elected as the fourth woman in government in substitution of Moritz Leuenberger
, putting men in minority for the first time in history. Also remarkeable is the fact that the eighth non-voting member of government the Chancellor who sets the government agenda, is also a woman.
In total, there have been seven female Councillors in the period 1989 to present:
, a French Swiss, resigned and was succeeded by Doris Leuthard
, a German-speaking Swiss.
Historically, at least two Council seats have always been held by French- or Italian-speaking Swiss, and no canton has in fact ever had more than one of its citizens on the Federal Council. From 2003 to 2007, however, two of the members of the Federal Council, Moritz Leuenberger
and Christoph Blocher
, have resided in the Canton of Zürich
. In the 2010 election, the two new Councillors Simonetta Sommaruga
and Johann Schneider-Ammann
were both from the Canton of Bern.
The current language makeup of the Council is five German speakers and two French speakers; an Italian speaker has not served on the Council since 1999.
According to the Swiss order of precedence
, the President of the Confederation is the highest-ranking Swiss official. He or she presides over Council meetings and carries out certain representative functions that, in other countries, are the business of a head of state. In urgent situations where a Council decision cannot be made in time, he or she is empowered to act on behalf of the whole Council. Apart from that, though, he or she is a primus inter pares
, having no power above and beyond the other six Councillors.
The President is not the Swiss head of state; this function is carried out by the Council in corpore, that is, in its entirety. However, it has recently become usual that the President acts and is recognized as head of state while conducting official visits abroad, as the Council (also by convention) does not leave the country in corpore. More often, though, official visits abroad are carried out by the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
. Visiting heads of state are received by the Federal Council in corpore.
.
Apart from the seven Councillors, the following officials also attend the meetings:
After the meetings, the Councillors always take lunch together. The Council also meets regularly in conclave to discuss important topics at length, and annually conducts what is colloquially referred to as its "field trip
", a day trip to some attractions in the President's home canton
. In that and other respects, the Council operates not unlike a board of directors
of a major corporation
.
s in the governments of other countries. Colloquially and by the press, they are often referred to as ministers, e.g. the head of the DDPS
as "minister of defence", even though no such post officially exists. However, as Council members, they are not only responsible for their own department, but also for the business of their colleagues' departments as well, and for the conduct of the government and the federal administration as a whole.
Decisions to be taken by the Council are always prepared by the responsible department. For example, a change in the salaries of federal employees would be proposed to the council by the head of the Federal Department of Finance
, to whose department the Federal Office of Personnel belongs. Before a vote is taken at a Council meeting, though, all proposals are circulated in writing to the heads of departments, who commission the senior career officials of their department - the heads of the Federal Offices - to prepare a written response to offer criticism and suggestions. This is called the co-report procedure (Mitberichtsverfahren/procédure de co-rapport), designed to build a wide consensus ahead of a Council meeting.
To prepare for important decisions, an additional public consultation is sometimes conducted, to which the cantons
, the political parties and major interest groups are invited, and in which all members of the public can participate. If a change in a federal statute
is to be proposed to the Federal Assembly, this step is mandated by law. In such cases, the consultation procedure also serves to identify political concerns that could later be the focus of a popular referendum to stop passage of the bill at issue.
The decisions themselves are formally taken by voice vote
by a majority of the Councillors present at a meeting. However, the great majority of decisions are arrived at by consensus; even though lately there is said to be a trend towards more contentious discussions and close votes.
argue that this secrecy is contrary to the principle of transparency
. However, the Council has always maintained that secrecy is necessary to arrive at consensus and to preserve the collegiality
and political independence of the individual Councillors.
Despite the secrecy rule, details of the votes and the arguments in Council are sometimes leak
ed to the press, resulting in (generally fruitless) investigations and criminal prosecutions of the leaking staff member.
of political opponents, its operation is subject to numerous constitutional conventions
. Most notable is the principle of collegiality
; that is, the Councillors are not supposed to publicly criticise one another, even though they are often political opponents. In effect, they are expected to publicly support all decisions of the Council, even against their own personal opinion or that of their political party. In the eye of many observers, this convention has become rather strained after the 2003 elections (see below).
by an absolute majority of votes. Every adult Swiss citizen is eligible, but in practice, only Members of Parliament or more rarely, members of Cantonal governments are nominated by the political parties and receive a substantial amount of votes. The voting is conducted in several rounds, under a form of exhaustive ballot
: in the first two rounds, anyone can enter their name; but in subsequent rounds, the person receiving the fewest votes is removed from the race until one candidate gains an absolute majority.
With Council seats allocated to parties by unwritten agreement (see above), Federal Council elections generally are unexciting, pleasant affairs. Usually, the party which has a seat to fill presents two candidates with mainstream viewpoints to the United Federal Assembly, which then chooses one. This was not so, however, during the 2003 election, which was the most controversial in recent memory (see also above).
Once elected, Councillors remain members of their political parties, but hold no leading office with them. In fact, they usually maintain a certain political distance from the party leadership, because under the rules of collegiality
, they will often have to publicly promote a Council decision which does not match the political conviction of their party (or of themselves).
nor can they be impeached
. Re-election is possible for an indefinite number of terms, and it has historically been extremely rare for Parliament not to re-elect a sitting Councillor. This has only happened four times - to Ulrich Ochsenbein
in 1854, to Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel
in 1872, to Ruth Metzler-Arnold in 2003 and to Christoph Blocher
in 2007. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office.
Unlike most senior members of government in other countries, the Federal Councillors are not entitled to an official residence
(however, the Federal Palace houses living apartments for both the Federal Chancellor and President of the Confederation). Mostly, they have chosen to rent apartments or hotel suites in Bern (at their own expense), However, they are entitled to use the Federal Council's country estate, Lohn, for holidays; this estate is also used to host official guests of the Swiss Confederation.
While Councillors can draw on an Army security detail if they need personal protection (in particular during official events), it is more usual to encounter them without any escort at all in the streets, restaurants and tram
ways of Bern. Councillors are also entitled to a personal bailiff
(Weibel) who accompanies them, in a colourful uniform, to official events. This tradition is directly traceable through the republican governments of the ancient Swiss cantons back to the lictor
s of the ancient Roman Republic
.
The spouses of Councillors do not play an official part in the business of government, apart from accompanying the Councillors to official receptions.
of gross CHF
440,000 (about EUR
340,000 / USD 490,000). After completing a full term of office, they are entitled to a perennial yearly pension of half that amount after leaving office.
While Councillors are forbidden by law to hold any other post during their term of office, it is not unusual for them to accept lucrative business engagements after leaving office, e.g., directorships on the boards of major Swiss corporations.
Furthermore they are entitled to an official car with driver and every four years a private service car, which can be used by the spouse and which remains property of the government once she/he leaves office. The value of the private car cannot exceed a quarter of the yearly salary. In all cases they receive a 1st class train limitless voucher which they can use also after leaving office. Each councillor also receives a telephone landline and mobile phone for which all bills are paid for by the public administration. Furthermore they receive a TV and radio set, fax machine and personal computer. All TV charges (cable TV, taxes etc.) are, on the other hand, paid for by the councillor her/himself.
If required, the councillors may use government planes or helicopters but only for official use.
for all statements made in their official capacity.
For crimes and misdemeanors not relating to their official capacity, they can be criminally prosecuted only with the permission of the Federal Council as a whole while in office. The prosecutor can appeal a refusal to grant permission to the Federal Assembly.
Prosecution for crimes and misdemeanors that do relate to the Councillors' official capacity requires the assent of the Federal Assembly. In such cases, Parliament can also suspend the Councillor in office (but not actually remove her or him).
According to statements to the media by a Federal Chancellory official, in none of the few cases of accusations against a Federal Councillor has the permission to prosecute ever been granted. Such cases usually involved statements considered offensive by members of the public. However, one unnamed Councillor involved in a traffic accident immediately prior to his date of resignation was reported to have voluntarily waived his immunity, and Councillor Elisabeth Kopp
decided to resign upon facing an inquiry over allegations of secrecy violations.
, voters can vent their displeasure with government decisions when deciding individual issues at the ballot box.
However, lately there has been a growing contention that the Federal Council is often too slow to respond to the needs of the moment, too resistant to change and too weak to lead the powerful federal bureaucracy
. Various changes have been proposed to address these issues, including expanding the powers of the presidency, expanding the Federal Council itself or adding a second layer of ministers between the Council and the departments. However, none of these proposals have developed much further.
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of Switzerland
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....
and serves as the Swiss collective head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
.
While the entire council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Switzerland
Federal administration of Switzerland
The federal administration of Switzerland is the ensemble of agencies that constitute, together with the Swiss Federal Council, the executive branch of the Swiss federal authorities...
, each Councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. The current members of the Federal Council are, in order of seniority:
Origins of the institution
The Federal Council was instituted by the 1848 Federal ConstitutionSwiss Federal Constitution
The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland. It establishes the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons , contains a catalogue of individual and popular rights , delineates the responsibilities of the...
as the "supreme executive and directorial authority of the Confederation".
When the Constitution was written, constitutional democracy was still in its infancy, and the founding fathers of Switzerland had little in the way of examples. While they drew heavily on the U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
for the organisation of the federal state as a whole, they opted for the collegial
Collegiality
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues.Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose...
rather than the president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
ial system for the executive branch of government. This accommodated the long tradition of the rule of collective bodies in Switzerland. Under the Ancien Régime, the cantons
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
had been governed by councils of pre-eminent citizens since time immemorial, and the later Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
(with its equivalent Directorate
Directorate
A directorate is an agency usually headed by a director, often a subdivision of a major government department.* Immigration and Nationality Directorate* Dairat al-Mukhabarat al-Ammah * Veterinary Medicines Directorate...
) as well as the cantons that had given themselves liberal constitutions since the 1830s had also had good experiences with that mode of governance.
Today, only three other states, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
and San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
, have collective rather than unitary heads of state. However the collegial system of government has found widespread adoption in modern democracies
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in the form of cabinet government with collective responsibility.
Changes in composition
The 1848 constitutional provision providing for the Federal Council and indeed the institution of the Council itself has remained unchanged to this day, even though Swiss society has changed profoundly since. Nonetheless, some significant developments deserve to be mentioned here.Free Democratic hegemony, 1848–1891
The 1848 Constitution was one of the few successes of the democratic revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
. In Switzerland, the democratic movement was led and the new federal state decisively shaped by the Radicals (presently the Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
, FDP). After winning the Sonderbundskrieg (the Swiss civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
) against the Catholic cantons, the Radicals at first used their majority in the Federal Assembly to fill all the seats on the Federal Council. This made their former war opponents, the Catholic-Conservatives (presently the Christian Democratic People's Party
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
, CVP), the opposition party. Only after Emil Welti
Emil Welti
Emil Welti was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council on 8 December 1866 and handed over office on 31 December 1891...
's resignation in 1891 after a failed referendum on railway nationalisation did the Radicals decide to co-opt the Conservatives by supporting the election of Josef Zemp
Josef Zemp
Josef Zemp was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 17, 1891 and handed over office on June 17, 1908...
.
Emerging coalition government, 1891–1959
The process of involving all major political movements of Switzerland into the responsibility of government continued during the first half of the 20th century. It was hastened by the FDP's and CVP's gradually diminishing voter shares, complemented by the rise of new parties of lesser power at the ends of the political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
. These were the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(SP) on the Left and the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB; presently the People's Party
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...
, SVP) on the Right. In due course, the CVP received its second seat in 1919 with Jean-Marie Musy
Jean-Marie Musy
Jean-Marie Musy was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 11 December 1919 and handed over office on 30 April 1934...
, while the BGB joined the Council in 1929 with Rudolf Minger
Rudolf Minger
Rudolf Minger was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council . He also was a farmer all his life....
. In 1943, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Social Democrats were also temporarily included with Ernst Nobs
Ernst Nobs
Ernst Nobs was a Swiss politician.He was the mayor of Zürich from 1942 to 1944. He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on December 15, 1943, as the first member of the Social Democratic Party...
.
Grand coalition, 1959–2003
The 1959 elections, following the resignation of four Councillors, finally established the Zauberformel, the "magical formula" that determined the Council's composition during the rest of the 20th century and established the long-standing nature of the Council as a permanent, voluntary grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
. In approximate relation to the parties' respective strength in the Federal Assembly, the seats were distributed as follows:
- Free Democratic PartyFree Democratic Party of SwitzerlandThe Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(FDP): 2 members, - Christian Democratic People's PartyChristian Democratic People's Party of SwitzerlandThe Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(CVP): 2 members, - Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of SwitzerlandThe Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(SP): 2 members, and - Swiss People's PartySwiss People's PartyThe 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...
(SVP): 1 member.
During that time, the FDP and CVP very slowly but steadily kept losing voter share to the SVP and SPS, respectively, which overtook the older parties in popularity during the 1990s.
End of the grand coalition, 2008
The governmental balance was changed after the 2003 elections, when the SVP was granted a Council seat for their leader Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher is a Swiss politician, industrialist, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police . Currently he is serving as Vice President of the Swiss People's Party...
that had formerly belonged to the CVP's Ruth Metzler
Ruth Metzler
Ruth Metzler-Arnold is a Swiss politician and former member of the Swiss Federal Council .She was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 11 March 1999, as a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party from the Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. During her time in office she has headed the...
. Due to controversies surrounding his conduct in office, a narrow Assembly majority did not reelect Blocher in 2007 and chose instead Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is a Swiss lawyer, politician, and member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2008. She is currently the head of the Federal Department of Finance ....
, a more moderate SVP politician, against party policy. This led to a split of the SVP in 2008. After liberal regional SVP groups including Federal Councillors Widmer-Schlumpf and Samuel Schmid
Samuel Schmid
Samuel Schmid is a Swiss politician who was a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2000 to 2008. He was the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports .He was elected to the Federal Council on 6 December 2000...
founded a new Conservative Democratic Party, the SVP was left in opposition for the first time since 1929, but returned into the Council with the election of Ueli Maurer
Ueli Maurer
Ueli Maurer is a member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports...
on December 10, 2008, who regained the seat previously held by Schmid, who had resigned.
Women on the council
Women gained suffrageWomen's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
on the federal level in 1971. They remained unrepresented in the Federal Council for three further legislatures, until the 1984 election of Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp is a Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council .Elisabeth Kopp grew up in Bern. After finishing her law studies in 1960 she married Hans W. Kopp...
.
In 1983, the non-election of the first official female candidate, Lilian Uchtenhagen
Lilian Uchtenhagen
Lilian Uchtenhagen is a Swiss economist and politician.Uchtenhagen, a resident of the Canton of Zürich and the wife of Ambros Uchtenhagen, a Swiss psychiatrist, had served on a Zürich retail chain's board of directors and served as the President of the Finance Commission in the Federal Assembly of...
and again in 1993 the non-election of Christiane Brunner
Christiane Brunner
Christiane Brunner , is a Swiss female politician and a licensed lawyer.-Career:Brunner has occupied the following positions:*Deputy of the Great Council of the Canton of Geneva, 1981–1990...
(both SP/PS), was controversial and the Social Democrats each time considered withdrawing from the Council altogether.
There were two female Councillors serving simultaneously for the first time in 2006, and three out of seven Councillors have been women from 2007 till 2010 when Simonetta Sommaruga
Simonetta Sommaruga
Simonetta Sommaruga is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. She is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the federal government of Switzerland, and head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police .- Early life :Born in Zug, Sommaruga grew up with two brothers and...
was elected as the fourth woman in government in substitution of Moritz Leuenberger
Moritz Leuenberger
Moritz Leuenberger is a Swiss politician, lawyer, was a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010 and President of the Confederation in 2001 and in 2006....
, putting men in minority for the first time in history. Also remarkeable is the fact that the eighth non-voting member of government the Chancellor who sets the government agenda, is also a woman.
In total, there have been seven female Councillors in the period 1989 to present:
- The first woman Councillor, Elisabeth KoppElisabeth KoppElisabeth Kopp is a Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council .Elisabeth Kopp grew up in Bern. After finishing her law studies in 1960 she married Hans W. Kopp...
(FDP/PRD), elected 1984, resigned in 1989. - Ruth DreifussRuth DreifussRuth Dreifuss is a Swiss politician affiliated with the Social Democratic Party. She was a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1993 to 2002, representing the Canton of Geneva)....
(SP/PS), served from 1993 to 2002, was the first woman to become President of the Confederation in 1999. - Ruth MetzlerRuth MetzlerRuth Metzler-Arnold is a Swiss politician and former member of the Swiss Federal Council .She was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 11 March 1999, as a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party from the Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. During her time in office she has headed the...
(Metzler-Arnold at the time) (CVP/PDC), served from 1999 to 2003 and was not re-elected to a 2nd term (see above). - Micheline Calmy-ReyMicheline Calmy-ReyMicheline Anne-Marie Calmy-Rey is the President of the Confederation in Switzerland, head of government. She is also Switzerland's foreign minister as head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. She has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2003, and was President of the...
(SP/PS), elected in 2003 and Doris LeuthardDoris LeuthardDoris Leuthard is a Swiss politician and lawyer. Since 1 August 2006, she has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council. From 1 August 2006 till 31 October 2010 she was head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs...
(CVP/PDC), elected in 2006, are currently in office as of 2009. Both were reelected in December 2007 for a four year term. - Eveline Widmer-SchlumpfEveline Widmer-SchlumpfEveline Widmer-Schlumpf is a Swiss lawyer, politician, and member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2008. She is currently the head of the Federal Department of Finance ....
was elected in December 2007. - Simonetta SommarugaSimonetta SommarugaSimonetta Sommaruga is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. She is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the federal government of Switzerland, and head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police .- Early life :Born in Zug, Sommaruga grew up with two brothers and...
was elected in September 2010. Together with Micheline Calmy-Rey, Doris Leuthard and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, women have now the majority in the Federal Council for the first time.
Regional balancing acts
Until 1999, the Constitution mandated that no canton could have more than one representative on the Federal Council. Until 1987, the place of origin was used to determine which canton a Federal Councilor was from. After 1987, the place of residence (or, for councilors who were previously members of the Federal Assembly or of a Canton's legislative or executive body, the canton from which they were elected) became the determinant factor. Nothing prevented candidates from moving to politically expedient cantons, though, and the rule was abandoned in 1999. Since then, the Constitution has mandated an equitable distribution of seats among the cantons and language regions of the country, without setting concrete quotas. Whenever a member resigns, s/he is generally replaced by someone who is not only from the same party, but also the same language region. In 2006, however, Joseph DeissJoseph Deiss
Joseph Deiss is an economist, Swiss politician and a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party . From 1999 to 2006, he was a member of the Swiss Federal Council, heading first the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and then the Federal Department of Economic Affairs...
, a French Swiss, resigned and was succeeded by Doris Leuthard
Doris Leuthard
Doris Leuthard is a Swiss politician and lawyer. Since 1 August 2006, she has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council. From 1 August 2006 till 31 October 2010 she was head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs...
, a German-speaking Swiss.
Historically, at least two Council seats have always been held by French- or Italian-speaking Swiss, and no canton has in fact ever had more than one of its citizens on the Federal Council. From 2003 to 2007, however, two of the members of the Federal Council, Moritz Leuenberger
Moritz Leuenberger
Moritz Leuenberger is a Swiss politician, lawyer, was a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010 and President of the Confederation in 2001 and in 2006....
and Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher is a Swiss politician, industrialist, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police . Currently he is serving as Vice President of the Swiss People's Party...
, have resided in the Canton of Zürich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
. In the 2010 election, the two new Councillors Simonetta Sommaruga
Simonetta Sommaruga
Simonetta Sommaruga is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. She is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the federal government of Switzerland, and head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police .- Early life :Born in Zug, Sommaruga grew up with two brothers and...
and Johann Schneider-Ammann
Johann Schneider-Ammann
Johann Niklaus Schneider-Ammann is a Swiss businessman and politician. Member of the Free Democratic Party, he was elected to the Swiss National Council in 1999...
were both from the Canton of Bern.
The current language makeup of the Council is five German speakers and two French speakers; an Italian speaker has not served on the Council since 1999.
Operation of the Federal Council
Presidency
Each year, one of the seven Councillors is elected by the United Federal Assembly as President of the Confederation. The Federal Assembly also elects a Vice President. By convention, the positions of President and Vice President rotate annually, each Councillor thus becoming Vice President and then President every seven years while in office.According to the Swiss order of precedence
Swiss order of precedence
The Swiss order of precedence is a hierarchy of important positions within the government of Switzerland. It has no legal standing but is used by ceremonial protocol....
, the President of the Confederation is the highest-ranking Swiss official. He or she presides over Council meetings and carries out certain representative functions that, in other countries, are the business of a head of state. In urgent situations where a Council decision cannot be made in time, he or she is empowered to act on behalf of the whole Council. Apart from that, though, he or she is a primus inter pares
Primus inter pares
Primus inter pares is Latin phrase describing the most senior person of a group sharing the same rank or office.When not used in reference to a specific title, it may indicate that the person so described is formally equal, but looked upon as an authority of special importance by their peers...
, having no power above and beyond the other six Councillors.
The President is not the Swiss head of state; this function is carried out by the Council in corpore, that is, in its entirety. However, it has recently become usual that the President acts and is recognized as head of state while conducting official visits abroad, as the Council (also by convention) does not leave the country in corpore. More often, though, official visits abroad are carried out by the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is a department of the federal administration of Switzerland. It is charged with maintaining the foreign relations of Switzerland and serves as Switzerland's ministry of foreign affairs...
. Visiting heads of state are received by the Federal Council in corpore.
Council meetings
The Federal Council operates mainly through weekly meetings, which are held each Wednesday at the Federal Palace in Bern., the seat of the Swiss federal governmentPolitics of Switzerland
The politics of Switzerland take place in the framework of a multi-party federal parliamentary democratic republic, whereby the Federal Council of Switzerland is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government and the federal administration and is not concentrated in any one...
.
Apart from the seven Councillors, the following officials also attend the meetings:
- Federal Chancellor Corina CasanovaCorina CasanovaCorina Casanova is the Federal Chancellor of Switzerland.Born 1956 in Ilanz, Graubünden, Casanova worked as a lawyer in the practice of the former President of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, Giusep Nay, as well as a Red Cross delegate in South Africa, Angola, Nicaragua and El Salvador...
. As government chief of staff and head of the Federal ChancelleryFederal Chancellery of SwitzerlandThe Federal Chancellery of Switzerland is a department-level agency of the federal administration of Switzerland. It is the staff organisation of the federal government, the Swiss Federal Council...
, she participates in the discussion but has no vote in the Council's decisions. Nonetheless, her influential position is often referred to as that of an "eighth Federal Councillor". - the Vice-Chancellor: André Simonazzi. Simonazzi is the spokesmanSpokesmanA spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
of the Federal Council and conducts the weekly press briefing after the meeting. - the Vice-Chancellor: Thomas Helbling who is in charge of the Federal Council sector within the Swiss Federal Chancellery.
After the meetings, the Councillors always take lunch together. The Council also meets regularly in conclave to discuss important topics at length, and annually conducts what is colloquially referred to as its "field trip
Field trip
A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment...
", a day trip to some attractions in the President's home canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
. In that and other respects, the Council operates not unlike a board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of a major corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
.
Decisions and responsibilities
Each Federal Councillor heads a government department, much like the ministerMinister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
s in the governments of other countries. Colloquially and by the press, they are often referred to as ministers, e.g. the head of the DDPS
Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports
The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport is one of the seven departments of the Swiss federal government, headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council.-Organisation:...
as "minister of defence", even though no such post officially exists. However, as Council members, they are not only responsible for their own department, but also for the business of their colleagues' departments as well, and for the conduct of the government and the federal administration as a whole.
Decisions to be taken by the Council are always prepared by the responsible department. For example, a change in the salaries of federal employees would be proposed to the council by the head of the Federal Department of Finance
Federal Department of Finance
The Federal Department of Finance ; ; ) is one of the seven departments of the Swiss federal government. The department is headquartered in Bern and is headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's finance minister...
, to whose department the Federal Office of Personnel belongs. Before a vote is taken at a Council meeting, though, all proposals are circulated in writing to the heads of departments, who commission the senior career officials of their department - the heads of the Federal Offices - to prepare a written response to offer criticism and suggestions. This is called the co-report procedure (Mitberichtsverfahren/procédure de co-rapport), designed to build a wide consensus ahead of a Council meeting.
To prepare for important decisions, an additional public consultation is sometimes conducted, to which the cantons
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
, the political parties and major interest groups are invited, and in which all members of the public can participate. If a change in a federal statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
is to be proposed to the Federal Assembly, this step is mandated by law. In such cases, the consultation procedure also serves to identify political concerns that could later be the focus of a popular referendum to stop passage of the bill at issue.
The decisions themselves are formally taken by voice vote
Voice vote
A voice vote is a voting method used by deliberative assemblies in which a vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding verbally....
by a majority of the Councillors present at a meeting. However, the great majority of decisions are arrived at by consensus; even though lately there is said to be a trend towards more contentious discussions and close votes.
Secrecy
The meetings of the Federal Council and the result of the votes taken are not open to the public, and the records remain sealed for 50 years. This has lately been the subject of some criticism. In particular, the parties at the ends of the political spectrumPolitical spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
argue that this secrecy is contrary to the principle of transparency
Transparency (humanities)
Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed...
. However, the Council has always maintained that secrecy is necessary to arrive at consensus and to preserve the collegiality
Collegiality
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues.Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose...
and political independence of the individual Councillors.
Despite the secrecy rule, details of the votes and the arguments in Council are sometimes leak
Leak
A leak is a hole or other opening, usually unintended and therefore undesired, in a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container...
ed to the press, resulting in (generally fruitless) investigations and criminal prosecutions of the leaking staff member.
Constitutional conventions
Due to the Federal Council's unique nature as a voluntary grand coalitionGrand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
of political opponents, its operation is subject to numerous constitutional conventions
Constitutional convention (political custom)
A constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is followed by the institutions of a state. In some states, notably those Commonwealth of Nations states that follow the Westminster system and whose political systems derive from British constitutional law, most...
. Most notable is the principle of collegiality
Collegiality
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues.Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose...
; that is, the Councillors are not supposed to publicly criticise one another, even though they are often political opponents. In effect, they are expected to publicly support all decisions of the Council, even against their own personal opinion or that of their political party. In the eye of many observers, this convention has become rather strained after the 2003 elections (see below).
Election mode
The members of the Federal Council are elected for a term of four years by both chambers of the Federal Assembly sitting together as the United Federal Assembly. Each Councillor is elected individually by secret ballotSecret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
by an absolute majority of votes. Every adult Swiss citizen is eligible, but in practice, only Members of Parliament or more rarely, members of Cantonal governments are nominated by the political parties and receive a substantial amount of votes. The voting is conducted in several rounds, under a form of exhaustive ballot
Exhaustive ballot
The exhaustive ballot is a voting system used to elect a single winner. Under the exhaustive ballot the elector simply casts a single vote for his or her favorite candidate. However if no candidate is supported by an overall majority of votes then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated...
: in the first two rounds, anyone can enter their name; but in subsequent rounds, the person receiving the fewest votes is removed from the race until one candidate gains an absolute majority.
With Council seats allocated to parties by unwritten agreement (see above), Federal Council elections generally are unexciting, pleasant affairs. Usually, the party which has a seat to fill presents two candidates with mainstream viewpoints to the United Federal Assembly, which then chooses one. This was not so, however, during the 2003 election, which was the most controversial in recent memory (see also above).
Once elected, Councillors remain members of their political parties, but hold no leading office with them. In fact, they usually maintain a certain political distance from the party leadership, because under the rules of collegiality
Collegiality
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues.Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose...
, they will often have to publicly promote a Council decision which does not match the political conviction of their party (or of themselves).
Resignation
Once elected for a four-year-term, Federal Councillors can neither be voted out of office by a motion of no confidenceMotion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
nor can they be impeached
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
. Re-election is possible for an indefinite number of terms, and it has historically been extremely rare for Parliament not to re-elect a sitting Councillor. This has only happened four times - to Ulrich Ochsenbein
Ulrich Ochsenbein
Ulrich Ochsenbein was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .-Professional life:...
in 1854, to Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel
Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel
Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .Challet was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on July 12, 1864 as the first member from the Canton of Geneva. He handed over office on December 31, 1872 after being voted out of office...
in 1872, to Ruth Metzler-Arnold in 2003 and to Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher is a Swiss politician, industrialist, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police . Currently he is serving as Vice President of the Swiss People's Party...
in 2007. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office.
Councillors' lives
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
(however, the Federal Palace houses living apartments for both the Federal Chancellor and President of the Confederation). Mostly, they have chosen to rent apartments or hotel suites in Bern (at their own expense), However, they are entitled to use the Federal Council's country estate, Lohn, for holidays; this estate is also used to host official guests of the Swiss Confederation.
While Councillors can draw on an Army security detail if they need personal protection (in particular during official events), it is more usual to encounter them without any escort at all in the streets, restaurants and tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
ways of Bern. Councillors are also entitled to a personal bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
(Weibel) who accompanies them, in a colourful uniform, to official events. This tradition is directly traceable through the republican governments of the ancient Swiss cantons back to the lictor
Lictor
The lictor was a member of a special class of Roman civil servant, with special tasks of attending and guarding magistrates of the Roman Republic and Empire who held imperium, the right and power to command; essentially, a bodyguard...
s of the ancient Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
.
The spouses of Councillors do not play an official part in the business of government, apart from accompanying the Councillors to official receptions.
Councillors' salary
Federal Councillors draw a yearly remunerationRemuneration
Remuneration is the total compensation that an employee receives in exchange for the service they perform for their employer. Typically, this consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as wage or salary...
of gross CHF
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
440,000 (about EUR
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
340,000 / USD 490,000). After completing a full term of office, they are entitled to a perennial yearly pension of half that amount after leaving office.
While Councillors are forbidden by law to hold any other post during their term of office, it is not unusual for them to accept lucrative business engagements after leaving office, e.g., directorships on the boards of major Swiss corporations.
Furthermore they are entitled to an official car with driver and every four years a private service car, which can be used by the spouse and which remains property of the government once she/he leaves office. The value of the private car cannot exceed a quarter of the yearly salary. In all cases they receive a 1st class train limitless voucher which they can use also after leaving office. Each councillor also receives a telephone landline and mobile phone for which all bills are paid for by the public administration. Furthermore they receive a TV and radio set, fax machine and personal computer. All TV charges (cable TV, taxes etc.) are, on the other hand, paid for by the councillor her/himself.
If required, the councillors may use government planes or helicopters but only for official use.
Immunity
Federal Councillors, like Members of Parliament, enjoy absolute legal immunityParliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
for all statements made in their official capacity.
For crimes and misdemeanors not relating to their official capacity, they can be criminally prosecuted only with the permission of the Federal Council as a whole while in office. The prosecutor can appeal a refusal to grant permission to the Federal Assembly.
Prosecution for crimes and misdemeanors that do relate to the Councillors' official capacity requires the assent of the Federal Assembly. In such cases, Parliament can also suspend the Councillor in office (but not actually remove her or him).
According to statements to the media by a Federal Chancellory official, in none of the few cases of accusations against a Federal Councillor has the permission to prosecute ever been granted. Such cases usually involved statements considered offensive by members of the public. However, one unnamed Councillor involved in a traffic accident immediately prior to his date of resignation was reported to have voluntarily waived his immunity, and Councillor Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp
Elisabeth Kopp is a Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council .Elisabeth Kopp grew up in Bern. After finishing her law studies in 1960 she married Hans W. Kopp...
decided to resign upon facing an inquiry over allegations of secrecy violations.
Assessment and calls for change
Historically, the collegial government of Switzerland has been assessed both internationally and nationally as exceptionally competent and stable. The Federal Council as a whole (although not individual members) has consistently maintained public approval and confidence rates in excess of sixty percent, possibly also because under the Swiss system of direct democracyDirect democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
, voters can vent their displeasure with government decisions when deciding individual issues at the ballot box.
However, lately there has been a growing contention that the Federal Council is often too slow to respond to the needs of the moment, too resistant to change and too weak to lead the powerful federal bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
. Various changes have been proposed to address these issues, including expanding the powers of the presidency, expanding the Federal Council itself or adding a second layer of ministers between the Council and the departments. However, none of these proposals have developed much further.
List of "firsts" in the Federal Council
- 1848: The first seven members elected: Ulrich OchsenbeinUlrich OchsenbeinUlrich Ochsenbein was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .-Professional life:...
, Jonas FurrerJonas FurrerJonas Furrer was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council . He was affiliated to the Radical Party.He was elected to the Federal Council on November 16, 1848 as one of the seven initial members....
, Martin J. MunzingerMartin J. MunzingerMartin Josef Munzinger was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 16 November 1848, as one of the first seven Councilors...
, Henri DrueyHenri DrueyDaniel-Henri Druey was a Swiss politician of the 19th century and a founding father of constitutional democracy in Switzerland.-Early life:Druey was born in Faoug in the Canton of Vaud...
, Friedrich Frey-HeroséFriedrich Frey-HeroséFriedrich Frey-Herosé was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on November 16, 1848 as one of the first seven members of the council...
, Wilhelm Matthias NaeffWilhelm Matthias NaeffWilhelm Matthias Naeff was a Swiss politician and one of the seven initial members of the Swiss Federal Council ....
and Stefano FransciniStefano FransciniStefano Franscini was a Swiss politician and statistician. He was one of the initial members of the Swiss Federal Council elected in 1848 and Switzerland's first native Italian speaking federal councillor. Franscini was affiliated to the Liberal Radical Party of Switzerland. During his office...
. - 1854: First (of only four so far) sitting Federal Councillors not to be reelected, Ulrich OchsenbeinUlrich OchsenbeinUlrich Ochsenbein was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .-Professional life:...
. - 1891: First Councillor of the Christian Democratic People's Party of SwitzerlandChristian Democratic People's Party of SwitzerlandThe Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
, Josef ZempJosef ZempJosef Zemp was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 17, 1891 and handed over office on June 17, 1908...
. - 1893: First member whose father was a member of the Council: Eugène RuffyEugène RuffyEugène Ruffy was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on December 14, 1893, and resigned on October 31, 1899...
, son of Victor RuffyVictor RuffyVictor Ruffy was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 6 December 1867, and died in office on 29 December 1869...
. In 2007, the 2nd is elected: Eveline Widmer-SchlumpfEveline Widmer-SchlumpfEveline Widmer-Schlumpf is a Swiss lawyer, politician, and member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2008. She is currently the head of the Federal Department of Finance ....
, the daughter of Leon SchlumpfLeon SchlumpfLeon Schlumpf is a Swiss politician and a former member of the Swiss Federal Council .Schlumpf was elected to the Federal Council on December 5, 1979 as a member of the Swiss People's Party from the Canton of Graubünden...
. - 1911: First (and only) octogenarian in office, Adolf DeucherAdolf DeucherAdolf Deucher was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on April 10, 1883 and died in office on July 10, 1912. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party...
. - 1913: First (and only) native Romansh speaker, Felix CalonderFelix CalonderFelix Louis Calonder was a Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1913 to 1920, and President of the Confederation in 1918. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party. During his tenure of office, he held the Department of Home Affairs from 1913 to 1917, and the Political...
. - 1917: First (and only) Councillor of the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of SwitzerlandThe 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....
elected, Gustave AdorGustave AdorGustave Ador was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on June 26, 1917 and handed over office on December 31, 1919...
. - 1930: First Councillor of the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB/PAI; now the Swiss People's PartySwiss People's PartyThe 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...
), Rudolf MingerRudolf MingerRudolf Minger was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council . He also was a farmer all his life....
. - 1943: First Councillor of the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of SwitzerlandThe Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
, Ernst NobsErnst NobsErnst Nobs was a Swiss politician.He was the mayor of Zürich from 1942 to 1944. He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on December 15, 1943, as the first member of the Social Democratic Party...
. - 1983: First female candidate for the Council from a government party, Lilian UchtenhagenLilian UchtenhagenLilian Uchtenhagen is a Swiss economist and politician.Uchtenhagen, a resident of the Canton of Zürich and the wife of Ambros Uchtenhagen, a Swiss psychiatrist, had served on a Zürich retail chain's board of directors and served as the President of the Finance Commission in the Federal Assembly of...
(SPSocial Democratic Party of SwitzerlandThe Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
) - 1984: First woman Councillor, Elisabeth KoppElisabeth KoppElisabeth Kopp is a Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council .Elisabeth Kopp grew up in Bern. After finishing her law studies in 1960 she married Hans W. Kopp...
(FDPFree Democratic Party of SwitzerlandThe Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
). - 1993: First Councillor of Jewish origin, Ruth DreifussRuth DreifussRuth Dreifuss is a Swiss politician affiliated with the Social Democratic Party. She was a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1993 to 2002, representing the Canton of Geneva)....
(SP). - 1995: First Councillor living in a domestic partnershipDomestic partnershipA domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
, Moritz LeuenbergerMoritz LeuenbergerMoritz Leuenberger is a Swiss politician, lawyer, was a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010 and President of the Confederation in 2001 and in 2006....
(SP) (with architect Gret LoewensbergGret LoewensbergMargaretha "Gret" Loewensberg is a Swiss architect and the wife of former Swiss Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger.As an architect, Loewensberg has made a name for herself in particular in the field of domestic architecture....
, whom he later married). - 1999: First woman President of the Confederation, Ruth Dreifuss (SP).
- 2010: First Majority of women in the Swiss Federal Council with the election of Simonetta SommarugaSimonetta SommarugaSimonetta Sommaruga is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. She is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the federal government of Switzerland, and head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police .- Early life :Born in Zug, Sommaruga grew up with two brothers and...
(SP).
See also
- List of members of the Swiss Federal Council (by date of election)
- Composition of the Swiss Federal Council
- :Category:Members of the Swiss Federal Council (alphabetical list)
- List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation