Central Federal Councillor Viola Amherd is President of the Swiss Confederation 2024
Published: Wednesday, Dec 13th 2023, 14:30
Updated At: Wednesday, Dec 13th 2023, 14:31
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Central Federal Councillor Viola Amherd will take office as President of the Swiss Confederation next year. The Minister of Defense received 158 out of 204 valid votes. The election was a formality.
According to the rotation principle, Amherd was the candidate for the presidency. FDP Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter was elected Vice-President. She will take over the presidency in 2025.
Council members like to use the election to the Federal Presidency to express their disapproval or approval of federal councillors. The 158 votes for Amherd are below average in a long-term comparison.
Amherd has been a member of the national government for five years. The 61-year-old centrist politician from Brig-Glis VS succeeded Doris Leuthard at the beginning of 2019. Since then, she has headed the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS). The Upper Valais native enjoys high popularity ratings in surveys and is sometimes referred to in the media as the "mother of the country".
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