Who Is The Boss of Switzerland?

Perhaps I am just projecting my own ignorance, but I think there are many expats in Switzerland, and even Swiss people themselves, who would struggle to name the current President of Switzerland in any average year. Then 2020 came around, the most un-average year imaginable, and we were suddenly all confident we knew exactly who the President was. That well-dressed Simonetta Sommaruga lady, the one who sits in the middle and talks first at the COVID press briefings.

However, if you tuned into the first COVID briefing of 2021, expecting to see Simonetta and her lovely necklace tell us in a few different languages that we all need to stick together (yet again), then you would have been disappointed. She wasn’t there. Instead, some old guy called Guy (Parmelin) was sitting in her chair. (And now, in 2022, it’s Ignazio Cassis.)  Hang on, what’s happened, you might have asked yourself. Surely you weren’t so distracted by US presidential election craziness that you completely missed a Swiss presidential election? Well, I’ve done some research, so let me explain a little about the system of Swiss national leadership, and you will then understand how Simonetta suddenly became Guy.

Who is the Boss of Switzerland?

The President of Switzerland is not really a role with any specific powers – rather it is a figurehead role, mostly existing to provide an easy answer to the inevitable question ‘Who Is The Boss of X country? In fact, the ‘boss’ of Switzerland is the Bundesrat (official English translation is Federal Council, but I prefer to use Bundesrat). The Bundesrat comprises seven councillors, representing the four major political parties. Yes, you read that correctly – there is never one party that controls the leadership, it is always shared.

In 1943, it was decided that 2-2-2-1 was the ‘magic formula’ for the Bundesrat, meaning two councillors from the Liberals party (FDP), two councillors from the Social Democratic Party (SP), two members from the People’s Party (SVP) and one member from the Christian Democratic Party (CVP). Bundesrat elections take place every four years in December and involve voting by both Houses of Parliament. I won’t go into the somewhat complicated process for elections (mostly because I’m not sure I fully understand it). Still, essentially there are many rounds of votes, with each seat granted once someone has achieved a majority. In sensible Swiss fashion, there is a general guideline that the seven councillors should represent different regions and languages of Switzerland, but there hasn’t been any need to come up with official rules to mandate this.

The Bundesrat (or Federal Council) is in charge of the Federal Administration, essentially the national government, comprised of 38,000 employees working in seven different departments. The Bundesrat councillors are each responsible for one of these departments, and this is the reason why you see a lot of Alain Berset during COVID (head of the Department for Home Affairs) and less of, for example, Viola Amherd (head of the Department of Defence, Civil Protection & Sport). (In case you’re interested, this Swiss government page shows the current Bundesrat councillors and the departments they are responsible for).

But how can a Simonetta turn into a Guy?

Each December, the Parliament holds an election to decide which of the seven Bundesrat councillors will be the President and vice president for the next year (with the understanding that the elected vice president will become the President the year after). Being the Bundespräsident/in is largely a figurehead and ceremonial role, that has some fun elements (like representing Switzerland at global events), and some not so fun elements (like having to deliver COVID briefings). The guiding principle for the President’s role is Primus Inter Pares, Latin for ‘first among equals’. Bundesrat councillors can hold this role more than once during their time in the Bundesrat, but not in consecutive years.

So now that you have the answer to the question of ‘Who is the Boss of Switzerland?’, let’s finish off with a couple of fun Bundesrat facts:

• The salary for each of the seven Bundesrat councillors is CHF 457,000, with the President receiving an extra, wait for it, CHF 12,000.
• There have been eight female Swiss presidents, and for the first time in 2010, there were more women on the Bundesrat than men. The current Bundesrat includes four men and three women.
• There is no limit to how many terms a councillor can serve on the Bundesrat; the record is held by Karl Schenk, an FDP councillor from Bern, who was a Bundesrat councillor from 1863 until 1895.
• While the new President, Guy Parmelin, is generally well-liked, there was some hesitancy in granting him the role, due to his lack of language skills, both German and English. (However, if the world never elected leaders who prefer only to speak French, then the world would never elect any native French-speaking leaders).
• The President in 2022 will be this year’s vice president: Ignazio Cassis. He is from Ticino, a doctor, and will receive no complaints about his language skills, given that he is fluent in Italian, German, French and English.
• But Ellen, you said there was only 7 Bundesrat, who is that eighth guy in the photo? Good question! That’s the federal council chief of staff, Walter Thurnherr