Alain Berset, dean of function after the resignation of Ueli Maurer and Simonetta Sommaruga, will lead the Confederation next year (archives).
Photo: KEYSTONE/THE PRESS/PABLO GIANINAZZI
Alain Berset will preside over the Swiss Confederation for the second time in 2023. The Federal Assembly elected him on Wednesday by 140 votes out of 181 valid ballots. The 50-year-old Friborg socialist succeeds Ignazio Cassis.
About forty bulletins carried the name of other personalities. Viola Amherd got 16 votes, Karin Keller-Sutter 10 and 15 went to other people. In addition, 46 ballots were blank.
The Fribourgeois thus does less well than his predecessor, elected by 156 votes out of 197 valid ballots. During his first election to the post, Alain Berset had obtained 190 votes out of 210 valid ballots, a much better score.
The Minister of Health is however far from the dunce cap. It was Micheline Calmy-Rey who had the worst election in 2011 with 106 votes. Conversely, the record is held by Jean-Pascal Delamuraz and Ueli Maurer. Both got 201 votes in 1988, respectively 2018.
Alain Berset is the third Freibourgese to become President of the Confederation. His predecessors were the Christian Democrats Joseph Deiss in 2004 and Jean-Marie Musy in 1925 and 1930.