SWITZERLAND: SP/PS's Berset Elected To Serve As Swiss President For 2023

Vice President and Federal Council member Alain Berset has been elected by the Federal Assembly to serve as President of the Swiss Confederation for the year 2023. Berset hails from the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SP)/Swiss Socialist Party (PS) and has served on the joint-executive Federal Council since 2012.

• The president holds no higher powers than the six other members of the Federal Council, with the role limited to chairing Council meetings and performing representational and ceremonial duties. As such, Berset will continue to serve as head of the department for Home Affairs.
• Right-wing conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) president Albert Rosti has been elected to succeed Ueli Maurer as one of the two representatives on the Council from the SVP, defeating National Council member Hans-Ueli Vogt by a margin of 131 to 98 votes in the Assembly.
• Member of the upper house, the Swiss Council of States, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider will succeed Simonetta Sommaruga as one of the two PS/SP Council members, narrowly defeating fellow Council of States member Eva Herzog by 123 votes to 116.
• Baume-Schneider's election has proved controversial. She as a French speaker is replacing German speaker Sommaruga, meaning that only 3 of the 7 Federal councillors will hail from German-speaking cantons, despite Germanophones making up a majority of the Swiss population.