Federal Council election 2019

The general election of the Federal Council took place on December 11, 2019. The United Federal Assembly of Switzerland (both chambers of the newly elected parliament ) elected the members of the Federal Council for the term of office between 2020 and 2023. The electoral mode provided for the following rules. In the first two ballots, all eligible persons could be elected. From the second ballot onwards, those who received fewer than ten votes were eliminated. No new candidacies were allowed after the third ballot. In addition, whoever received the fewest votes was eliminated. Whoever achieved the absolute majority was chosen.

The seats were ordered individually in descending order of the age of office of the seat holder:

Ueli Maurer (SVP, confirmed with 213 votes)
Simonetta Sommaruga (SP, confirmed with 192 votes)
Alain Berset (SP, confirmed with 214 votes)
Guy Parmelin (SVP, confirmed with 191 votes)
Ignazio Cassis (FDP, confirmed with 145 votes)
Viola Amherd (CVP, confirmed with 218 votes)
Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP, confirmed with 169 votes)

All incumbent members of the Federal Council ran for re-election. As the fourth largest party in the National Council elections for the first time, the Green Party demanded a new magic formula for the composition of the Federal Council. The party nominated its party president Regula Rytz for the desired Federal Council seat, she ran against the FDP politician Ignazio Cassis, because the FDP was overrepresented as the third strongest force with two Federal Council seats. On December 10th, the SP parliamentary group decided to support Rytz. The Green Liberal parliamentary group has decided to allow votes. Finally the previous government was confirmed.

As President of the Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga was elected. The Chancellor Walter Thurnherr was confirmed with 219 votes.

Regula Rytz received 13 votes in the election for the second seat (re-election of Simonetta Sommaruga) and 82 votes in the election for the fifth seat (re-election of Ignazio Cassis).

Individual evidence

↑ parliament.ch: General election of December 11, 2019 . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
↑ Attack on the Federal Council seat - Greens line up with Regula Rytz - and only with her. In: srf.ch. November 22, 2019, accessed November 22, 2019 .
↑ Linda Koponen, Lukas Mäder: SP supports Rytz almost unanimously - the green liberals are divided. In: nzz.ch. December 10, 2019, accessed December 10, 2019 .
↑ Green liberals: "The magic formula is no longer valid". In: tagesanzeiger.ch. December 10, 2019, accessed December 10, 2019 .
^ Frank Sieber, Claudia Baer: Federal Council election: Parliament confirms the previous government and denies the Greens entry into the Federal Council. In: nzz.ch. December 11, 2019, accessed December 11, 2019 .

[1] rliament.ch: General election of December 11, 2019 . Retrieved November 14, 2019.

[2] Attack on the Federal Council seat - Greens line up with Regula Rytz - and only with her. In: srf.ch. November 22, 2019, accessed November 22, 2019 .

[3] Linda Koponen, Lukas Mäder: SP supports Rytz almost unanimously - the green liberals are divided. In: nzz.ch. December 10, 2019, accessed December 10, 2019 .

[4] Green liberals: "The magic formula is no longer valid". In: tagesanzeiger.ch. December 10, 2019, accessed December 10, 2019 .

[5] Frank Sieber, Claudia Baer: Federal Council election: Parliament confirms the previous government and denies the Greens entry into the Federal Council. In: nzz.ch. December 11, 2019, accessed December 11, 2019 .