Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
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Official portrait, 2011
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| President of Switzerland | |
| In office 1 January 2012 – 31 December 2012 |
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| Vice President | Ueli Maurer |
| Preceded by | Micheline Calmy-Rey |
| Succeeded by | Ueli Maurer |
| Vice President of Switzerland | |
| In office 1 January 2011 – 31 December 2011 |
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| President | Micheline Calmy-Rey |
| Preceded by | Micheline Calmy-Rey |
| Succeeded by | Ueli Maurer |
| Head of the Department of Finance | |
| In office 1 November 2010 – 31 December 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Hans-Rudolf Merz |
| Succeeded by | Ueli Maurer |
| Head of the Department of Justice and Police | |
| In office 1 January 2008 – 31 October 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Christoph Blocher |
| Succeeded by | Simonetta Sommaruga |
| Member of the Swiss Federal Council | |
| In office 1 January 2008 – 31 December 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Christoph Blocher |
| Succeeded by | Guy Parmelin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 March 1956 Felsberg, Switzerland |
| Political party | Swiss People's Party (before 2008) Conservative Democratic Party (2008–2021) The Centre (2021–present) |
| Spouse | Christoph Widmer |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Zürich |
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, born on March 16, 1956, is a Swiss politician and lawyer. She was a very important person in the Swiss government. From 2008 to 2015, she served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council. This is like being part of the country's main leadership team.
Before 2008, she was a member of the Swiss People's Party. Later, she joined a new group called the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland. This party later joined with another called The Centre. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf was in charge of the Federal Department of Justice and Police from 2008 to 2010. After that, she became the head of the Federal Department of Finance. In 2012, she even served as the President of the Swiss Confederation, which is a very high honor.
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About Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Her Family and Early Life
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is married and has three children. Her father, Leon Schlumpf, was also a Federal Councillor. This is quite special because she is only the second person in Swiss history to follow in her father's footsteps in this role. She was also the sixth woman ever to be chosen for the Swiss Federal Council.
She supports a project called SAFFA 2020. This project focuses on women's issues and future goals. She works on this project with other important female politicians like Doris Leuthard, Simonetta Sommaruga, and Micheline Calmy-Rey.
Education and First Jobs
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf studied law at the University of Zürich. She earned her law degree in 1981 and a higher law degree in 1990. She worked as a lawyer for many years, from 1987 to 1998.
She also worked in local government. In 1985, she was elected to a district court in Trin. She led this court from 1991 to 1997. From 1994 to 1998, she was a member of the Grand Council of Grisons. This is like a regional parliament. In 1998, she became the first woman to be elected to the cantonal government in Grisons. She even served as its president in 2001 and 2005.
Becoming a Federal Councillor
In 2007, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf was suggested as a possible new Federal Councillor. This happened during the 2007 Swiss Federal Council election. She was chosen by several other political parties, even though she was from the Swiss People's Party. She won the election and became the 110th Federal Councillor. She accepted this important role on December 13, 2007. She then took over the job of leading the Federal Department of Justice and Police.
Starting a New Political Party
After she was elected, some leaders of her old party, the Swiss People's Party, were not happy. They felt she had gone against her party by accepting the election without their full support. Because of this, she was no longer allowed to attend her party's meetings.
The national leaders of the Swiss People's Party asked her to leave the Federal Council and the party. When she refused, they asked her local party branch in Grisons to remove her. The Grisons branch supported Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. So, the national party removed the Grisons branch from the main party. Because of this, the former Grisons branch formed a brand new party called the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland.
After some changes in the government in 2010, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf became the head of the Federal Department of Finance. This department manages the country's money. In 2011, she was chosen as the Vice President of Switzerland. Then, on December 14, 2011, she was elected President of the Swiss Confederation for 2012. She was the fourth woman to hold this important position.
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf decided not to run for re-election in 2015. She was replaced by Guy Parmelin.
See also
In Spanish: Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf para niños
