Chancellor of Switzerland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Federal Chancellor of Switzerland |
|
---|---|
Federal Chancellery of Switzerland | |
Residence | Federal Palace |
Term length | Four years, renewable |
Inaugural holder | Jean-Marc Mousson |
Formation | 1803 |
Website | www.bk.admin.ch |
The Federal Chancellor is the head of the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland, the oldest Swiss federal institution, established at the initiative of Napoleon in 1803. The officeholder acts as the general staff of the seven-member Federal Council. The Chancellor is not a member of the government and the office is not at all comparable to that of the Chancellor of Germany or the Chancellor of Austria.
The current Chancellor, Walter Thurnherr, a member of The Centre from Aargau, was elected on 9 December 2015. He began his term on 1 January 2016. Thurnherr was reelected on 11 December 2019.
Election
The Federal Chancellor is elected for a four-year term by both chambers of the Federal Assembly, assembled together, at the same time (and by the same process) as it elects the Federal Council. The election is conducted by secret ballot using an exhaustive ballot in which each member of the Assembly can vote for any eligible person in the first two rounds, but only remaining candidates in subsequent rounds. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, the candidate(s) with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Vice-Chancellors
One or two Vice-Chancellors are also appointed. In contrast to the Chancellor, they are appointed directly by the Federal Council. Prior to 1852, the position was called the State Secretary of the Confederation. The two current Vice-Chancellors are André Simonazzi from Valais (Independent) since 2009 (also spokesman of the Federal Council) and Viktor Rossi from Bern (GLP/PVL) since 2019.
Role
The position is a political appointment and has only a technocratic role.
The Chancellor attends meetings of the Federal Council but does not have a vote. The Chancellor also prepares the Federal Council's reports to the Federal Assembly on its policy and activities. Still, the Chancellor's position is often referred to as that of an "eighth Federal Councillor". The chancellery is also responsible for the publication of all federal laws.
List of Federal Chancellors
# | Tenure | Chancellor | Portrait | Birth–death | Party | Canton | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1803–1830 | Jean-Marc Mousson | 1776–1861 | Liberal | Vaud | ||
2 | 1831–1847 | Josef Franz Karl Amrhyn | 1800–1849 | Liberal | Lucerne | ||
3 | 1848–1881 | Johann Ulrich Schiess | 1813–1883 | Liberal | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | ||
4 | 1882–1909 | Gottlieb Ringier | 1837–1929 | Liberal | Aargau | ||
5 | 1910–1918 | Hans Schatzmann | 1848–1923 | Free Democratic Party | Aargau | ||
6 | 1919–1925 | Adolf von Steiger | 1859–1925 | Free Democratic Party | Bern | ||
7 | 1925–1934 | Robert Käslin | 1871–1934 | Free Democratic Party | Nidwalden | ||
8 | 1934–1943 | George Bovet | 1874–1946 | Free Democratic Party | Neuchâtel | ||
9 | 1944–1951 | Oskar Leimgruber | 1886–1976 | Christian Democratic People's Party | Fribourg | ||
10 | 1951–1967 | Charles Oser | 1902–1994 | Free Democratic Party | Basel-Stadt | ||
11 | 1968–1981 | Karl Huber | 1915–2002 | Christian Democratic People's Party | St. Gallen | ||
12 | 1981–1991 | Walter Buser | 1926–2019 | Social Democratic Party | Basel-Landschaft | ||
13 | 1991–1999 | François Couchepin | 1935–2023 | Free Democratic Party | Valais | ||
14 | 2000–2007 | Annemarie Huber-Hotz | 1948–2019 | Free Democratic Party | Zug | ||
15 | 2008–2015 | Corina Casanova | 1956– | Christian Democratic People's Party | Grisons | ||
16 | 2016–present | Walter Thurnherr | 1963– | Christian Democratic People's Party | Aargau | ||
The Centre |
See also
In Spanish: Canciller de la Confederación Suiza para niños
- Politics of Switzerland
- List of presidents of the Swiss Confederation
- List of members of the Swiss Federal Council
- Lists of office-holders