Pascal Couchepin

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Federal Councilor Pascal Couchepin (2009)

Pascal Roger Couchepin (born April 5, 1942 in Martigny ; entitled to live there ) is a Swiss politician ( FDP ). As Federal Councilor (1998–2009), he was Minister of Economics (1998–2002) and Minister of the Interior (2003–2009), and in 2003 and 2008 he held the office of Federal President .

Professional and political career

Pascal Couchepin, like his father, studied law at the University of Lausanne , where he passed his licentiate in 1966 and the bar exam in 1968. In the same year he began practicing as a lawyer and was elected to the municipal council, the executive branch, of Martigny; 1984-1998 he was mayor there. In 1979 he was elected to the National Council and from 1989-1996 was President of the Free Democratic Group in the Federal Assembly .

On March 11, 1998, he was elected to the Federal Council by the Federal Assembly. During his tenure he headed the following departments:

Pascal Couchepin was President of Switzerland in 2003 and 2008 and Vice President in 2002 and 2007.

As Head of the Department of Economic Affairs, he represented Switzerland in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and was Governor of the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Before his election to the Federal Council, Couchepin was a member of several boards of directors (TSA Telecom SA, Elektrowatt Holding ). He was also president of the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society and was active in various organizations for the disabled.

On June 12, 2009, Couchepin submitted his resignation from the Federal Council at the end of October. Didier Burkhalter , the Neuchâtel Council of States, was elected as his successor in the fourth ballot on September 16 .

In November 2011, Pascal Couchepin was honored with the “Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (O. LH)” ( Officer of the French Legion of Honor ).

criticism

Pascal Couchepin is considered a sharp critic of the controversial former Federal Councilor Christoph Blocher and as a result has been caught in the crossfire of his party, the SVP , and in some cases also in the Swiss media. For example, on September 7, 2007, when he sharply criticized the SVP during an interview on Ticino Radio RSI. Couchepin indirectly compared his colleague Blocher with the former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini by saying: «Nobody, not even the ' Duce' , is indispensable for the well-being of our country. That is unhealthy". An incident on February 7, 2008, when Couchepin brought the SVP National Councilor Christoph Mörgeli into contact with the Nazi doctor and mass murderer Joseph Mengele during a committee meeting also gave cause for criticism . Couchepin used the phrase “Dr. Mörgele »instead of« Dr. Mengele ». Although Couchepin corrected his statement immediately, he later confirmed in a press release from the EDI that he had only made a slip of the tongue, while his critics accused him of deliberately making this comparison.

Private

Couchepin is married to Brigitte Rendu, the daughter of a Paris doctor. They have three children together. His daughter Anne-Laure Couchepin Vouilloz was elected Mayor of Martigny in November 2016.

His father Henri was a councilor, his grandfather Jules Couchepin was mayor of Martigny and a national councilor, and his great-grandfather was mayor and cantonal judge. His cousin François Couchepin was Federal Chancellor from 1991 to 1999.

Works

  • I believe in politics - conversations with Jean Romain. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-85823-989-5 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Pascal Couchepin  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Federal Chancellery: The Confederation in Brief , page 55. Published in 2008
  2. ↑ Federal Councilor Pascal Couchepin resigns In: Aargauer Zeitung of June 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Former Federal Councilor Couchepin becomes an officer of the Legion of Honor. In: Aargauer Zeitung of November 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ Couchepin harshly criticizes the SVP. In: NZZ Online . September 7, 2007, accessed August 15, 2018 .
  5. ↑ "Mörgele" instead of "Mengele". In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . February 6, 2008, accessed August 15, 2018 .
  6. ^ Frédéric Giroud: Couchepin, Jules. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  7. ↑ Interview in: Observer , edition 21/2009 (accessed October 25, 2009)
predecessor Office successor
Jean-Pascal Delamuraz Member of the Swiss Federal Council
1998 - 2009 		Didier Burkhalter
personal data
SURNAME Couchepin, Pascal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Couchepin, Pascal Roger
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss politician (FDP)
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Martigny