List of members of the Swiss Federal Council

The seven members of the Swiss Federal Council (German: Schweizerischer Bundesrat; French: Conseil fédéral suisse; Italian: Consiglio federale svizzero; Romansh: Cussegl federal svizzer) constitute the federal government of Switzerland and 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]

Members

№ Name Portrait Canton[4] Election Left office Department headed[5] Party Presidency Notes Seq[6]
1 Jonas FurrerZH16 November 184825 July 1861Foreign affairs,[7] JusticeFDP/PRD1848–49
1852
1855
1858		Died in officeA01
2 Ulrich OchsenbeinBE16 November 18486 December 1854DefenceFDP/PRD—Not re-elected[8]B01
3 Henri DrueyVD16 November 184829 March 1855Justice, Foreign affairs,[7] FinanceFDP/PRD1850Died in officeC01
4 Josef MunzingerSO16 November 18486 February 1855Finance, Foreign affairs,[7]
Posts and Construction,
Trade and Customs		FDP/PRD1851Died in officeD01
5 Stefano FransciniTI16 November 184819 July 1857Home affairsFDP/PRD—Died in officeE01
6 Friedrich Frey-HeroséAG16 November 184831 December 1866Trade and Customs, Foreign affairs,[7]
Defence		FDP/PRD1854
1860		F01
7 Wilhelm Matthias NaeffSG16 November 184831 December 1875Posts and Construction, Foreign affairs,[7]
Trade and Customs, Posts,
Finance, Railway and Trade		FDP/PRD1853G01
8 Jakob StämpfliBE6 December 185431 December 1863Justice, Foreign affairs,[7]
Finance, Defence		FDP/PRD1856
1859
1862		B02
9 Constant FornerodVD11 July 185531 October 1867Trade and Customs, Foreign affairs,[7]
Finance, Defence		FDP/PRD1857
1863
1867		C02
10 Melchior Josef Martin KnüselLU14 July 185531 December 1875Finance, Trade and Customs, Justice,
Foreign affairs,[7] Home affairs		FDP/PRD1861
1866		Elected after Johann Jakob Stehlin declined the electionD02
11 Giovanni Battista PiodaTI30 July 185726 January 1864Home affairsFDP/PRD—E02
12 Jakob DubsZH30 July 186128 May 1872Justice, Foreign affairs,[7]
Home affairs, Posts		FDP/PRD1864
1868
1870		A02
13 Karl SchenkBE12 December 186318 July 1895Home affairs, Finance,
Railway and Trade		FDP/PRD1865
1871
1874
1878
1885
1893		Died in officeB03
14 Jean-Jacques Challet-VenelGE12 July 18647 December 1872Finance, PostsFDP/PRD—Not re-elected[9]E03
15 Emil WeltiAG8 December 186631 December 1891Defence, Trade and Customs,
Posts and Telegraph,
Posts and Railways, Justice		FDP/PRD1869
1872
1876
1880
1884
1891		F02
16 Victor RuffyVD6 December 186729 December 1869Finance, DefenceFDP/PRD—Died in officeC03
17 Paul CérésoleVD1 February 187031 December 1875Finance, Defence,
Foreign affairs,[7] Justice		FDP/PRD1873C04
18 Johann Jakob SchererZH12 July 187223 December 1878Finance, Railway and Trade,
Foreign affairs,[7] Defence		FDP/PRD1875Died in officeA03
19 Eugène BorelNE7 December 187231 December 1875Posts and TelegraphFDP/PRD—E04
20 Joachim HeerGL10 December 187531 December 1878Posts and Telegraph, Foreign affairs,[7]
Railway and Trade		FDP/PRD1877D03
21 Fridolin AnderwertTG10 December 187525 December 1880JusticeFDP/PRD—Died in office
(committed suicide)[10]		G02
22 Bernhard HammerSO10 December 187531 December 1890Finance, DefenceFDP/PRD1879
1889		E05
23 Numa DrozNE18 December 187518 December 1892Home affairs, Trade and Agriculture,
Foreign affairs		FDP/PRD1881
1887		Elected after Louis Ruchonnet and Charles Estoppey declined the election.C05
24 Simeon BavierGR10 December 18785 January 1883Finance, Posts and Railways, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD1882D04
25 Wilhelm HertensteinZH21 March 187927 November 1888DefenceFDP/PRD1888Died in officeA04
26 Louis RuchonnetVD3 March 188114 September 1893Economic affairs, Justice, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD1883
1890		Elected after Karl Hoffmann declined his election. Died in officeG03
27 Adolf DeucherTG10 April 188310 July 1912Justice, Posts and Railways, Economic affairs, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD1886
1897
1903
1909		Died in officeD05
28 Walter HauserZH13 December 188822 October 1902Defence, Finance, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD1892
1900		Died in officeA05
29 Emil FreyBL11 December 189011 March 1897DefenceFDP/PRD1894E06
30 Josef ZempLU17 December 189117 June 1908Posts and Railways, Foreign affairs[7]CVP/PDC1895
1902		F03
31 Adrien LachenalGE15 December 189231 December 1899Foreign affairs, Economic affairs, Home affairsFDP/PRD1896C06
32 Eugène RuffyVD14 December 189331 October 1899Justice, Home affairs,
Foreign affairs,[7] Defence		FDP/PRD1898G04
33 Eduard MüllerBE16 August 18959 November 1919Justice, Defence,
Foreign affairs[7]		FDP/PRD1899
1907
1913		Died in officeB04
34 Ernst BrennerBS25 March 189711 March 1911Justice, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD1901
1908		Died in officeE07
35 Robert ComtesseNE14 December 18994 March 1912Finance, Justice,
Posts and Railways, Foreign affairs[7]		FDP/PRD1904
1910		C07
36 Marc-Emile RuchetVD14 December 18999 July 1912Home affairs, Finance,
Foreign affairs[7]		FDP/PRD1905
1911		G05
37 Ludwig ForrerZH11 December 19027 December 1917Economic affairs, Home affairs, Foreign affairs,[7] Defence, Justice, Posts and RailwaysFDP/PRD1906
1912		A06
38 Josef Anton SchobingerLU17 June 190827 November 1911Justice, Economic affairs, Finance, Home affairsCVP/PDC—F04
39 Arthur HoffmannSG4 April 191119 June 1917Justice, Defence,
Foreign affairs		FDP/PRD1914E08
40 Giuseppe MottaTI14 December 191123 January 1940Finance, Foreign affairsCVP/PDC1915
1920
1927
1932
1937		F05
41 Louis PerrierNE12 March 191216 May 1913Posts and Railways, Home affairsFDP/PRD—C08
42 Camille DecoppetVD17 July 19127 November 1919Home affairs, Justice, DefenceFDP/PRD1916G06
43 Edmund SchulthessAG17 July 191215 April 1935Economic affairs, Economic affairsFDP/PRD1917
1921
1928
1933		D06
44 Felix CalonderGR12 June 191312 February 1920Home affairs, Foreign affairs[7]FDP/PRD1918C09
45 Gustave AdorGE26 June 191731 December 1919Foreign affairs, Home affairsLPS/PLS1919E09
46 Robert HaabZH13 December 191731 December 1929Posts and RailwaysFDP/PRD1922
1929		A07
47 Karl ScheurerBE11 December 191914 November 1929DefenceFDP/PRD1923Died in officeB05
48 Ernest ChuardVD11 December 191931 December 1928Home affairsFDP/PRD1924G07
49 Jean-Marie MusyFR11 December 191930 April 1934FinanceCVP/PDC1925
1930		E10
50 Heinrich HäberlinTG12 February 192012 March 1934JusticeFDP/PRD1926
1931		C10
51 Marcel Pilet-GolazVD13 December 19287 November 1944Home affairs, Posts and Railways,
Foreign affairs		FDP/PRD1934
1940		G08
52 Rudolf MingerBE12 December 192931 December 1940DefenceSVP/UDC1935B06
53 Albert MeyerZH12 December 192931 December 1938Home affairs, FinanceFDP/PRD1936A08
54 Johannes BaumannAR22 March 193431 December 1940JusticeFDP/PRD1938C11
55 Philipp EtterZG28 March 193419 November 1959Home affairsCVP/PDC1939
1942
1947
1953		E11
56 Hermann ObrechtSO4 April 193520 June 1940Economic affairsFDP/PRD—D07
57 Ernst WetterZH15 December 193831 December 1943FinanceFDP/PRD1941A09
58 Enrico CelioTI22 February 194023 June 1950Posts and RailwaysCVP/PDC1943
1948		F06
59 Walther StampfliSO18 July 194018 November 1947Economic affairsFDP/PRD1944D08
60 Eduard von SteigerBE10 December 19409 November 1951JusticeSVP/UDC1945
1951		B07
61 Karl KobeltSG10 December 19405 November 1954DefenceFDP/PRD1946
1952		C12
62 Ernst NobsZH15 December 194313 November 1951FinanceSPS/PSS1949A10
63 Max PetitpierreNE14 December 194430 June 1961Foreign affairsFDP/PRD1950
1955
1960		G09
64 Rodolphe RubattelVD11 December 19471 November 1954Economic affairsFDP/PRD1954D09
65 Josef EscherVS14 September 195026 November 1954Posts and RailwaysCVP/PDC—F07
66 Markus FeldmannBE13 December 19513 November 1958JusticeSVP/UDC1956B08
67 Max WeberZH13 December 19518 December 1953FinanceSPS/PSS—A11
68 Hans StreuliZH22 December 195319 November 1959FinanceFDP/PRD1957A12
69 Thomas HolensteinSG16 December 195420 November 1959Economic affairsCVP/PDC1958F08
70 Paul ChaudetVD16 December 195428 November 1966DefenceFDP/PRD1959
1962		D10
71 Giuseppe LeporiTI16 December 195424 November 1959Posts and RailwaysCVP/PDC—C13
72 Friedrich Traugott WahlenBE11 December 195831 December 1965Justice, Economic affairs,
Foreign affairs		SVP/UDC1961B09
73 Jean BourgknechtFR17 December 19593 September 1962FinanceCVP/PDC—E12
74 Willy SpühlerZH17 December 195931 January 1970Posts and Railways,
Transport, Energy, Communications,
Foreign affairs		SPS/PSS1963
1968		A13
75 Ludwig von MoosOW17 December 195931 December 1971JusticeCVP/PDC1964
1969		F09
76 Hans-Peter TschudiBS17 December 195931 December 1973Home affairsSPS/PSS1965
1970		C14
77 Hans SchaffnerAG15 June 196131 December 1969Economic affairsFDP/PRD1966G10
78 Roger BonvinVS27 September 196231 December 1973Finance,
Transport, Energy, Communications		CVP/PDC1967
1973		E13
79 Rudolf GnägiBE8 December 196531 December 1979Transport, Energy, Communications,
Defence		SVP/UDC1971
1976		B10
80 Nello CelioTI15 December 196631 December 1973Defence, FinanceFDP/PRD1972D11
81 Pierre GraberNE10 December 196931 January 1978Foreign affairsSPS/PSS1975A14
82 Ernst BruggerZH10 December 196931 January 1978Economic affairsFDP/PRD1974G11
83 Kurt FurglerSG8 December 197131 December 1986Justice, Economic affairsCVP/PDC1977
1981
1985		F10
84 Willi RitschardSO5 December 19733 October 1983Transport, Energy, Communications,
Finance		SPS/PSS1978Died in officeC15
85 Hans HürlimannZG5 December 197331 December 1982Home affairsCVP/PDC1979E14
86 Georges-André ChevallazVD5 December 197331 December 1983Finance, DefenceFDP/PRD1980D12
87 Fritz HoneggerZH7 December 197731 December 1982Economic affairsFDP/PRD1982G12
88 Pierre AubertNE7 December 197731 December 1987Foreign affairsSPS/PSS1983
1987		A15
89 Leon SchlumpfGR5 December 197931 December 1987Transport, Energy, CommunicationsSVP/UDC1984B11
90 Alphons EgliLU8 December 198231 December 1986Home affairsCVP/PDC1986E15
91 Rudolf FriedrichZH8 December 198220 October 1984JusticeFDP/PRD—G13
92 Otto StichSO7 December 198331 October 1995FinanceSPS/PSS1988
1994		C16
93 Jean-Pascal DelamurazVD7 December 198330 March 1998Defence, Economic affairsFDP/PRD1989
1996		D13
94 Elisabeth KoppZH2 October 198412 January 1989JusticeFDP/PRD—G14
95 Arnold KollerAI10 December 198613 January 1999Justice, DefenceCVP/PDC1990
1997		F11
96 Flavio CottiTI10 December 198613 January 1999Home affairs, Foreign affairsCVP/PDC1991
1998		E16
97 René FelberNE9 December 198731 March 1993Foreign affairsSPS/PSS1992A16
98 Adolf OgiBE9 December 198731 December 2000Transport, Energy, Communications,
Defence		SVP/UDC1993
2000		B12
99 Kaspar VilligerLU1 February 198931 December 2003Defence, FinanceFDP/PRD1995
2002		G15
100 Ruth DreifussGE10 March 199331 December 2002Home affairsSPS/PSS1999Elected after Francis Matthey declined the election.A17
101 Moritz LeuenbergerZH27 September 19951 November 2010Transport, Energy, CommunicationsSPS/PSS2001
2006		C17
102 Pascal CouchepinVS11 March 199831 October 2009Economic affairs, Home affairsFDP/PRD2003
2008		D14
103 Ruth Metzler-ArnoldAI11 March 199931 December 2003JusticeCVP/PDC—Not re-elected[11]F12
104 Joseph DeissFR11 March 199931 July 2006Foreign affairs, Economic affairsCVP/PDC2004E17
105 Samuel SchmidBE6 December 200031 December 2008[12]DefenceSVP/UDC2005Switched to the BDP/PBD in 2008B13
106 Micheline Calmy-ReyGE4 December 200231 December 2011Foreign affairsSPS/PSS2007
2011		A18
107 Christoph BlocherZH10 December 200331 December 2007JusticeSVP/UDC—Not re-elected.[13]F13
108 Hans-Rudolf MerzAR10 December 20031 November 2010FinanceFDP/PRD2009G16
109 Doris LeuthardAG14 June 2006IncumbentEconomic Affairs, Transport, Energy, CommunicationsCVP/PDC2010
2017		E18
110 Eveline Widmer-SchlumpfGR12 December 200731 December 2015Justice, FinanceBDP/PBD2012Initially elected for SVP/UDCF14
111 Ueli MaurerZH10 December 2008IncumbentDefence, FinanceSVP/UDC2013B14
112 Didier BurkhalterNE16 September 200931 October 2017Home affairs, Foreign affairsFDP/PRD2014D15
113 Simonetta SommarugaBE22 September 2010IncumbentJusticeSPS/PSS2015C18
114 Johann Schneider-AmmannBE22 September 2010IncumbentEconomic affairsFDP/PRD2016G17
115 Alain BersetFR14 December 2011IncumbentHome affairsSPS/PSS2018A19
116 Guy ParmelinVD9 December 2015IncumbentDefenceSVP/UDC–F15
117 Ignazio CassisTI20 September 2017IncumbentForeign affairsFDP/PRD–D16

Legend:
     Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) after 1894; previously a more or less coherent group of Liberals, Radicals and Democrats[14]
     Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC)
     Liberal Party (LPS/PLS)
     Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) after 1971; previously Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB/PAI) and associated minor parties
     Social Democratic Party (SPS/PSS)
     Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD)

The 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 StehlinBS11 July 1855FDP/PRD
23 Louis RuchonnetVD10 December 1875FDP/PRDLater elected as 26th member.
23 Charles EstoppeyVD18 December 1875FDP/PRD
26 Karl HoffmannSG22 February 1881FDP/PRD
100 Francis MattheyNE3 March 1993SPS/PSS

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 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).
  2. ↑ 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).
  3. ↑ Federal Council in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ The names of the federal departments have changed over the years. Generic names have been used as much as possible.
  6. ↑ The sequence number indicates to which of the seven seats (denoted by the letters A to G) the Councillor was elected.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 As President of the Confederation. The department used to be held by councillors during the annually changing office of President of the Confederation.
  8. ↑ Ulrich Ochsenbein in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  9. ↑ Philippe Chenaux: Jean-Jacques Challet (-Venel) in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 2003-09-16.
  10. ↑ Fridolin Anderwert in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  11. ↑ Franz Xaver Bischof: Ruth Metzler (-Arnold) in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 2007-11-27.
  12. ↑ "Schmid announces resignation". Swissinfo. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  13. ↑ "Blocher ousted by Swiss parliament". Swissinfo. December 12, 2007.
  14. ↑ Beginnings of the Free Democratic Party in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  • Federal Council in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  • Swiss Federal Chancellery. "The Swiss Confederation: A brief guide 2007". Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  • Services of the Swiss Parliament. "Resultate der Wahlen des Bundesrats, der Bundeskanzler und des Generals" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  • Swiss Federal Chancellery. "Chronological index of Federal Councillors". Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  • Swiss Federal Chancellery. "Members of the Federal Council who declined election". Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  • Church, Clive H. (2004). The Politics and Government of Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-69277-2.

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