2019 Swiss Federal Council election

An election for all seven members of the Federal Council, the Government of Switzerland, was held on 11 December 2019, following the federal election on 20 October 2019, for the 2020–2024 term.[1]

2019 Swiss Federal Council election
11 December 2019
All 7 Federal Councillors
  First party Second party
 
Party Swiss People's Social Democrats
Elected Ueli Maurer
213 votes		 Alain Berset
214 votes
  Guy Parmelin
191 votes		 Simonetta Sommaruga
192 votes
  Third party Fourth party
 
Party FDP.The Liberals Christian Democrats
Elected Karin Keller-Sutter
169 votes		 Viola Amherd
218 votes
  Ignazio Cassis
145 votes
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All Federal Councillors were reelected to their seats by the Federal Assembly in the first round of voting, either for another full four-year term (Ueli Maurer, Simonetta Sommaruga, Alain Berset, Guy Parmelin) or a first full four-year term (Ignazio Cassis, Viola Amherd, Karin Keller-Sutter).[2][3] No portfolio changes were made after the election.

Background

The Federal Council is the federal executive of Switzerland. It is composed of 7 members, elected for a 4-year term by both houses of the Swiss parliament sitting together as the Federal Assembly after each federal election.[4] Decisions are taken collegially, only deferring to a vote when no consensus can be reached; decisions once taken are then defended by the entire council acting as a single decision-maker.

Any Swiss eligible to the National Council is eligible to the Federal Council,[5] but historically most councillors elected are members of the legislature. Elections are held using secret ballot and candidate need an overall majority of valid votes to be elected. Each seat is elected independently and sequentially, in order of seniority (the seat of the longest-serving federal councillor is first up).[6]

The parliament cannot remove from office any councillor nor vote a non-confidence motion against it. Federal councillors are usually re-elected until they resign, sometimes during their term (calling for a by-election); only four have been unseated in the Council's history.

Magic formula

The Magic formula is an unwritten agreement between the parties to share the seats on the Federal Council as a national unity coalition. The three largest parties (SVP, SP, and FDP) receive 2 seats each, and the fourth largest party (CVP) receives the last seat (2–2–2–1). It was used since 1959, with the exception of a period between 2007 and 2015 after the SVP/UDC expelled its two federal councillors.

The formula was put in question after the surge in votes of the greens and green-liberals in the federal election a month earlier; the traditional 4 parties only represented 68.9% of the National Council which was the lowest in history. Calls were made either to replace the formula with a five-party coalition (2–2–1–1–1) or expand its size to nine seats, the latter was rejected by referendum last time in 1942 but it is also seen as a way to split the two largest federal departments.[7]

Federal Assembly
Parliamentary groupPartiesNR/CNBR/CdÉTotal%
Group of the Swiss People's PartySVP/UDC, Lega, EDU/UDF, Ind.[lower-alpha 1]5576225.2%
Social-democratic groupSP/PS3994819.5%
Center Group CVP-EVP-BDPCVP/PDC, EVP/PEV, BDP/PBD31134417.9%
FDP-Liberal groupFDP/PLR29124116.7%
Green groupGPS/PÉS, PST, SolS3053514.2%
Green-liberal groupGLP/PVL160166.5%
  1. One SVP-caucusing independent in the Council of States.

Incumbents

Incumbents, in descending order of seniority, including political party affiliation and department at the time of the election:

All groups supported the re-election of all federal councillors, with the exception of the greens and social-democrats who supported Green Party leader Regula Rytz to take Ignazio Cassis' seat.

Results
The official photograph of the Swiss Federal Council for 2020. From left to right: Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr, Viola Amherd, Guy Parmelin (Vice President for 2020), Alain Berset, Simonetta Sommaruga (President for 2020), Ignazio Cassis, Ueli Maurer and Karin Keller-Sutter.

Seat held by Ueli Maurer

Ueli Maurer (SVP-ZH) was reelected in the first round of voting.

CandidatePartyRound 1
Ueli MaurerSVP 213
Others8
Valid votes221
Absolute majority111
Invalid votes0
Blank votes23
Votes cast244

Seat held by Simonetta Sommaruga

Simonetta Sommaruga (SP-BE) was reelected in the first round of voting.

CandidatePartyRound 1
Simonetta SommarugaSP 192
Regula RytzGPS 13
Others13
Valid votes218
Absolute majority110
Invalid votes1
Blank votes25
Votes cast244

Seat held by Alain Berset

Alain Berset (PS-FR) was reelected in the first round of voting.

CandidatePartyRound 1
Alain BersetSP 214
Others16
Valid votes230
Absolute majority116
Invalid votes0
Blank votes14
Votes cast244

Seat held by Guy Parmelin

Guy Parmelin (SVP-VD) was reelected in the first round of voting.

CandidatePartyRound 1
Guy ParmelinSVP 191
Others13
Valid votes204
Absolute majority103
Invalid votes1
Blank votes39
Votes cast244

Seat held by Ignazio Cassis

Ignazio Cassis (FDP-TI) was reelected in the first round of voting. The Greens and Socialists considered FDP.The Liberals to no longer deserve a seat in the Federal Council and fielded Green Party leader Regula Rytz to challenge his seat. Her candidacy mobilized the green and social-democratic groups almost unanimously, but failed to appeal to the centrist parties and Ignazio Cassis was re-elected without being challenged to a runoff.[8]

CandidatePartyRound 1
Ignazio CassisFDP 145
Regula RytzGPS 82
Others11
Valid votes238
Absolute majority120
Invalid votes0
Blank votes6
Votes cast244

Seat held by Viola Amherd

Viola Amherd (CVP-VS) was reelected in the first round of voting.

CandidatePartyRound 1
Viola AmherdCVP 218
Others14
Valid votes232
Absolute majority117
Invalid votes0
Blank votes11
Votes cast243

Seat held by Karin Keller-Sutter

Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP-SG) was reelected in the first round of voting.

CandidatePartyRound 1
Karin Keller-SutterFDP 169
Marcel DoblerFDP 21
Others16
Valid votes206
Absolute majority104
Invalid votes1
Blank votes37
Votes cast244

Chancellor of the Confederation
Chancellor Walter Thurnherr

The Chancellor of the Confederation is a technocratic position and not a voting member of the Federal Council, but they are elected after the seven ministers using the same rules. Walter Thurnherr (CVP-AG) was reelected chancellor in the first round of voting, with a majority higher than the ministers.[9]

CandidatePartyRound 1
Walter ThurnherrCVP 219
Others5
Valid votes224
Absolute majority113
Invalid votes3
Blank votes14
Votes cast241

President of the Confederation
2019 Swiss presidential election
11 December 2019
 
Candidate Simonetta Sommaruga
Party Social Democrats
Electoral vote
186 / 200
President before election

Ueli Maurer

 Elected President

Simonetta Sommaruga

The President of the Confederation is a member of the Federal Council elected every year, with no additional powers apart from chairing meetings of the Federal Council. Simonetta Sommaruga (SP-BE) was supported by all groups, as she had served the longest on the Federal Council since her last presidency in 2015 and was vice-president the previous year.[10]

CandidatePartyRound 1
Simonetta SommarugaSP 186
Others14
Valid votes200
Absolute majority101
Invalid votes6
Blank votes37
Votes cast243

Vice President of the Federal Council

The Vice President of the Federal Council is a member of the Federal Council elected every year like the President, and the presumptive president for the next year. Guy Parmelin (SVP-VD) was supported by all groups, as he had served the longest on the Federal Council since 2016 without being president.[10]

CandidatePartyRound 1
Guy ParmelinSVP 168
Others15
Valid votes183
Absolute majority92
Invalid votes3
Blank votes52
Votes cast238

References
  1. "Renouvellement intégral du Conseil fédéral du 11 décembre 2019". Parlament.ch. 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  2. "Election du Conseil fédéral, le 11 décembre 2019", Le Temps (in French), 11 December 2019.
  3. "Le Conseil fédéral élu est le moins représentatif depuis 1959", RTS (in French), 11 December 2019.
  4. Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation / Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft (BV) / Constitution fédérale de la Confédération suisse (Cst.) / Costituzione federale della Confederazione Svizzera of 2018-09-23, SR/RS 101 (E·D·F·I)
  5. BV/Csv. art. 143, art. 175
  6. Federal Act on the Federal Assembly / Bundesgesetz über die Bundesversammlung (ParlG) / Loi sur L'Assemblée fédérale (LParl) / Legge federale sull'Assemblea federale of 2019-12-02, SR/RS 171.10 (E·D·F·I)
  7. Wuthrich, Bernard. "Pour le Conseil fédéral, une formule qui perd de sa magie". Le Temps. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  8. Le Temps (2019-12-11). "Election du Conseil fédéral, le 11 décembre 2019". letemps.ch. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  9. "Wahl des Bundeskanzlers für die neue Amtsdauer — Election du chancelier de la Confédération pour la nouvelle législature". parlament.ch. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  10. "Wahl der Bundespräsidentin für 2020 — Election de la présidente de la Confédération pour 2020". Parlament.ch. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
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