The reshuffle came a day after lawmakers chose the first new members of government in four years, as part of a rejig at the top of one of Europe’s
major economies.
Ignazio Cassis stays on as foreign minister — a role he has held since 2017 — and Defence Minister Viola Amherd remains in charge of Switzerland’s armed neutrality after four years in the job.
Seats in the seven-member Federal Council government rarely come up for grabs but two became available after Finance Minister Ueli Maurer and Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga announced they were stepping down.
The two newcomers are Albert Rösti, an agricultural engineer by training who will take over the environment ministry, while Elisabeth Baume-Schneider becomes justice minister. She replaces Karin Keller-Sutter — the only member to switch portfolios — who becomes finance minister.
The new line-up takes effect on January 1st.
Cassis, who also currently holds the presidency, said the decision to largely keep people in their posts was a consensual one.
“We based ourselves for this decision on criteria such as the current geopolitical instability and the need to guarantee continuity in the running
of challenging ministries of internal and foreign affairs,” he told reporters.
Guy Parmelin stays on as economy minister.
Seats in the Federal Council are shared among the main political parties under a tacit decades-old agreement known as “the magic formula”, which generally remains unaffected by power shifts in parliament but reflects the spirit of compromise that characterises Swiss democracy.
While militarily neutral, Switzerland has matched the sanctions imposed on Russia by the neighbouring European Union over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We are responsible for the safety of our population and our country. That’s why I decided out of conviction to continue,” Defence Minister Amherd
tweeted.
READ MORE: LATEST: Swiss parliament elects new ministers to federal council