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2022 Swiss Federal Council Election
By-elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held on 7 December 2022, after federal councillors Ueli Maurer ( SVP- ZH) and Simonetta Sommaruga ( SP- BE) announced they would leave the Council effective 31 December of the same year. The parliament elected Albert Rösti and Élisabeth Baume-Schneider respectively to replace them. Per an informal agreement between the political parties known as the magic formula, only SVP candidates stood for Maurer's seat and only SP candidates stood for Sommaruga's, ensuring the partisan balance would be retained. However, this election was characterized as an "upset" in the language balance as German-speaking councillors became a minority in the Council for the first time since 1919 as a result of Baume-Schneider's election; a regional imbalance between cities and rural areas was also noticed, while the gender balance remained identical. This election is the first time the canton of Jura is represented to the Federal Council, being the youngest ...
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Federal Council Of Switzerland
The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. It meets in the west wing of the Federal Palace in Bern. While the entire Federal Council is responsible for leading the federal administration of Switzerland, each Councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. The position of President of the Swiss Confederation rotates among the seven Councillors on a yearly basis, with one year's Vice President of Switzerland becoming the next year's President of Switzerland. Ignazio Cassis has been the incumbent officeholder since 1 January 2022. An election of the entire Federal Council occurs every four years; voting is restricted to the 246 members of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. There is no mechanism for recall after election. Incumbents are almost a ...
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Swissinfo
SWI swissinfo.ch is a multilingual news and information platform produced by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR). Its content is Swiss-centred, with top priority given to in-depth information on politics, the economy, the arts, science, education, and direct democracy. Switzerland's international political, economic and cultural relations are other key points of focus. The website is available in ten languages. History In the mid-1990s, economic circumstances forced swissinfo.ch to take a new strategic direction. The internet was advancing fast, heralding a new era for the producing journalists and the Swiss Radio International (SRI) audience alike. The German, French, English and Portuguese sites went online in 1999. The Italian, Japanese and Spanish sites followed in 2000, with Arabic going live on 1 February 2001 and Chinese in September of the same year. Within just two years, the internet platform for expatriate Swiss was already better known than SRI's short-wav ...
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Christoph Blocher
Christoph Wolfram Blocher (; born 11 October 1940) is a Swiss industrialist and politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2004 to 2007. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), he headed the Federal Department of Justice and Police. As an industrialist, he became wealthy as CEO and majority shareholder in the EMS-Chemie corporation, now run by his daughter, Magdalena Martullo-Blocher. A controversial figure, Blocher is known for his role in transforming Swiss politics, shifting it to the right, as well as the Swiss People's Party, which has become "the dominant force in national politics". As he "developed a eurosceptic and anti-immigration agenda that has shaken up the cozy post-war consensual system prevailing in neutral Switzerland", Blocher served as the ''de facto'' leader of the SVP and a symbol of the party, holding its vice presidency from 2008 until 2018. Early life and education The son of a pastor, Blocher was born in 1940, the seven ...
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Magdalena Martullo-Blocher
Magdalena Martullo-Blocher (born 13 August 1969) is a Swiss businesswoman, politician ( SVP), billionaire and the daughter of former Swiss Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher. She is the majority shareholder and executive vice chairman of Ems-Chemie. She has been a member of the National Council for the canton of Graubünden since 2015. Early life Martullo-Blocher is the daughter of Swiss industrialist turned politician, Christoph Blocher, who acquired the Swiss chemical company Ems-Chemie in 1983. She studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and graduated with a licentiate. Professional career From 1994 to 1996, she was Product Manager at Johnson & Johnson. Between 1996 and 2000 she worked as Marketing Manager for the Swiss department at Rivella AG, a soft drink producer. In January 2001, she joined the Ems Group and eight months later, she became a member of the Board of Directors. Since August 2002, she has been its Vice Chairman. When ...
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Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (born 16 March 1956) is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2008 to 2015. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) until 2008, she has since then been a member of the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD). Widmer-Schlumpf was the head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police from 2008 to 2010, when she became head of the Federal Department of Finance. She served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2012. Biography Family, education and early career Widmer-Schlumpf is married and has three children. She is the daughter of Federal Councillor Leon Schlumpf. She is the second Federal Councillor whose father had held the same office after Eugène Ruffy, as well as the sixth woman to be elected to the Swiss Federal Council. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is also patron of the project ''SAFFA 2020'', alongside the Federal Councillors Doris Leuthard, Simonetta Sommaruga and former Federal Councillor ...
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2018 Swiss Federal Council Election
By-elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held on 5 December 2018, after federal councillors Johann Schneider-Ammann ( FDP- BE) and Doris Leuthard ( CVP- AG) announced in September they would leave the Council effective 31 December of the same year. The by-elections resulted in the elections of Karin Keller-Sutter ( FDP- SG) and Viola Amherd ( CVP- VS), yielding no change in the partisan composition of the council. Women re-gained a third seat in the Council, with the first simultaneous election of two women. The languages also retained the same representation (4 german-speakers, 2 french-speakers, and 1 italian-speaker) and catholics represented the majority of the federal council for the first time. Background In Switzerland, the 7-seat executive Federal Council is apportioned between the parties following the unwritten agreement known as the Magic formula. The formula was followed from 1959 to 2008, and re-appeared in 2015; since 2003 the composition is: SVP 2 seats, ...
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Federal Administration Of Switzerland
The federal administration of Switzerland (german: Bundesverwaltung, french: Administration fédérale, it, Amministrazione federale, rm, Administraziun federala) is the ensemble of agencies that constitute, together with the Swiss Federal Council, the executive branch of the Swiss federal authorities. The administration is charged with executing federal law and preparing draft laws and policy for the Federal Council and the Federal Assembly. The administration consists of seven federal departments and the Federal Chancellery. The departments are roughly equivalent to the ministries of other states, but their scope is generally broader. Each department consists of several federal offices, which are headed by a director, and of other agencies. The much smaller Federal Chancellery, headed by the Federal Chancellor, operates as an eighth department in most respects. Federal Council The administration in its entirety is directed by the Swiss Federal Council, and the Fede ...
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Federal Department Of Environment, Transport, Energy And Communications
The Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC, german: Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation, french: Département fédéral de l'environnement, des transports, de l'énergie et des communications, it, Dipartimento federale dell'ambiente, dei trasporti, dell'energia e delle comunicazioni, rm, ) is one of the seven departments of the Swiss federal government, headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council. Organisation The department is composed of the following offices: * General Secretariat * Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE): Coordinates area planning between the federal agencies, the cantons and the municipalities. * Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN): Responsible for matters of the environment, including the protection of plants and animals and the protection against noise, air pollution or natural hazards. * Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA): Regulates civil aviation. ...
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Federal Department Of Finance
The Federal Department of Finance (FDF, german: Eidgenössisches Finanzdepartement, links=no, french: Département fédéral des finances, links=no, it, Dipartimento federale delle finanze, links=no, rm, ) is one of the seven departments of the Swiss federal government. The department is headquartered in Bern and headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's finance minister. Initially, in 1848, the department was called "Department of Finance", then, from 1873 "Department of Finance and Customs", until it received its present designation in 1978. Organisation The Department is composed of the following offices: * General Secretariat, including the Federal Strategy Unit for IT (FSUIT). * Federal Finance Administration (FFA): Responsible for the budget, financial planning, financial policy, the federal treasury and financial equalisation between the Confederation and the cantons. Operates the federal mint. * Federal Office of Personnel (FOPER): Responsi ...
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Federal Department Of Home Affairs
The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA, , french: Département fédéral de l'intérieur, links=no, , rm, ) is a department of the federal administration of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss ministry of the interior. As of 2012, it is headed by Federal Councillor Alain Berset. Organisation Like the other federal departments, the FDHA is composed of a General Secretariat, several Federal Offices, and a number of other and affiliated administrative entities. General Secretariat The General Secretariat is responsible for planning, coordination and controlling, and coordinates the decision-making process between the federal offices and the Head of Department. It provides consultancy services for the entire department. Its legal service is also responsible for supervising charitable foundations. The Federal Commission against Racism, the Service for Combating Racism and the Office for the Equality of People with Disabilities are also affiliated to the General Secretariat ...
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Canton Of Fribourg
The canton of Fribourg, also canton of Freiburg (french: Canton de Fribourg ; german: Kanton Freiburg ; frp, Canton de Fribôrg rm, Chantun Friburg it, Canton Friburgo) is located in western Switzerland. The canton is bilingual, with French spoken by more than two thirds of the citizens and German by a little more than a quarter. Both are official languages in the canton. The canton takes its name from its capital city of Fribourg. History On the shores of Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Morat significant traces of prehistoric settlements have been unearthed. The canton of Fribourg joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481. The area is made up of lands acquired by the capital Fribourg. The present extent was reached in 1803 when Murten (Morat) was acquired. The canton of Fribourg joined the separatist league of Catholic cantons in 1846 (Sonderbund). The following year, its troops surrendered to the federal army. Geography The canton is bounded to the west by Lake Neuchâtel, to the ...
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