The tables below show information and statistics about the members of the

Swiss Federal Council 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 governm ...

(''in German:'' Bundesrat, ''in French:'' conseil fédéral, ''in Italian:'' consiglio federale), or Federal Councilors (''in German:'' Bundesräte, ''in French:'' conseillers fédéraux, ''in Italian:'' consiglieri federali). The

(german: Schweizerischer Bundesrat, french: Conseil fédéral suisse, it, Consiglio federale svizzero, rm, Cussegl federal svizzer) is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

as well as the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

of Switzerland. Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a department of the Swiss federal government. 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 A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority r ...

of votes. Since 1848, the seven Councillors have never been replaced simultaneously, thus guaranteeing a continuity of the government. Once elected for a four-year-term, Federal Councillors can neither be voted out of office by a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or m ...

nor can they be impeached. Reelection is possible for an indefinite number of terms, and it has historically been extremely rare for Parliament not to reelect a sitting Councillor and this has only happened four times. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office.

Parties

Time in office

The following tables do not include councilors currently in office.

Age (oldest and youngest)

Lifespan

References

*
The Swiss Confederation: A brief guide 2006
edited by the Swiss Federal Chancellery. * , compiled by the services of the Swiss Parliament. * Clive H. Church (2004). ''The Politics and Government of Switzerland''. Palgrave Macmillan. .

External links

on the official website of the Swiss Federal Council. {{Swiss Federal Council *List