Vice-Chancellor and Federal Council spokesman Simonazzi dies
Published: Saturday, May 11th 2024, 16:50
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Federal Council Spokesman and Vice-Chancellor André Simonazzi is dead. The 55-year-old died on Friday during a hike, as the Federal Chancellery announced on Saturday.
Born in Valais, he collapsed and died "on one of his beloved hikes", it was reported. Simonazzi is survived by his wife and three adult children.
In November 2008, André Simonazzi was appointed Vice-Chancellor and Speaker of the Federal Council. From January 1, 2009, he attended government meetings, took minutes and handled communications. In the Federal Chancellery, he headed several sections and the Presidential Service. Last Wednesday, he chaired three media conferences after the Federal Council meeting.
The Federal Council reacted with shock to the unexpected death. The news shocked the members of the Federal Council and the Federal Chancellor, according to the statement. The Federal Council and the Federal Chancellor expressed their deepest condolences to Simonazzi's family and relatives.
Spokesman for SP Federal Councillor Leuenberger
Simonazzi was a public servant in the best sense of the word, the Federal Chancellery paid tribute to the Vice-Chancellor. The standard he applied to his work and that of his colleagues was the statutory information mandate.
Originally from Monthey, Simonazzi graduated from the University of Geneva with a degree in international relations. He then trained as a journalist at the newspaper "Nouvelliste". From 1995 to 1998, he worked for Caritas Switzerland as press spokesman for French-speaking Switzerland. In 1998, he took over the overall information department.
He then joined the Information Service of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) in 2004. He was initially deputy head of information and press spokesman for French-speaking Switzerland. In 2005, Simonazzi became Head of Information in the department of the then SP Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger, before becoming Vice-Chancellor.
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