In a ceremony on Wednesday, Switzerland welcomed Viola Amherd as its new president, succeeding Alain Berset in the rotating honorary role within the country’s cabinet. Amherd, currently the defence minister, is set to assume the presidency from January. The change comes as part of the annual rotation tradition among cabinet members.
In tandem with this transition, the Swiss parliament elected Beat Jans to the seven-member cabinet, succeeding Berset, who opted to step down by the year’s end. The cabinet reshuffle maintains the existing political balance, with Jans hailing from the centre-left Social Democrat party, the same party as his predecessor.
The majority of the cross-party cabinet members were re-elected for another four-year term. This includes Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider from the Social Democrat party, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter from the centre-right Free Liberals. Transport Minister Albert Roesti and Economic Minister Guy Parmelin, representing the Swiss People’s Party, also retained their roles.
President-elect Amherd, a member of the Centre party, reflects the coalition’s commitment to consensus governance. The recent changes maintain continuity in Switzerland’s government, despite the rightward shift observed in the October general election. The newly elected officials are poised to lead the country through the next four years.
