Didier Burkhalter
Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
In office
1 January 2014 – 31 December 2014
Preceded byLeonid Kozhara
Succeeded byIvica Dačić
President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2014 – 31 December 2014
Vice PresidentSimonetta Sommaruga
Preceded byUeli Maurer
Succeeded bySimonetta Sommaruga
Vice President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2013 – 31 December 2013
PresidentUeli Maurer
Preceded byUeli Maurer
Succeeded bySimonetta Sommaruga
Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs
In office
1 January 2012 – 31 October 2017
Preceded byMicheline Calmy-Rey
Succeeded byIgnazio Cassis
Head of the Department of Home Affairs
In office
1 November 2009 – 31 December 2011
Preceded byPascal Couchepin
Succeeded byAlain Berset
Member of the Swiss Federal Council
In office
1 November 2009 – 31 October 2017
Preceded byPascal Couchepin
Succeeded byIgnazio Cassis
Personal details
Born
Didier Eric Burkhalter

(1960-04-17) 17 April 1960
Auvernier, Switzerland
Political partyFree Democratic Party (until 2009)
FDP.The Liberals (since 2009)
SpouseFriedrun Sabine Burkhalter
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Neuchâtel

Didier Eric Burkhalter (born 17 April 1960) is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2009 to 2017. A member of FDP.The Liberals, he was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2014.

Burkhalter was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 16 September 2009; he succeeded Pascal Couchepin on 1 November 2009 when he became head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs. From 1 January 2012 to 31 October 2017, he served as head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.[1] As President of the Swiss Confederation, he served as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014. He left the Federal Council on 31 October 2017.[2]

Biography

A native of Auvernier, Burkhalter served in the Grand Council of Neuchâtel from 1990 to 2001. From 1991 to 2005, he was a member of Neuchâtel's city government (Conseil communal); he was the Mayor of Neuchâtel several times (1994/1995, 1998/1998, 2001/2002). From 2003 to 2007, he was a member of the Swiss National Council. He was a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) until the foundation of FDP.The Liberals in 2009.

On 11 November 2007, Burkhalter was elected to the Council of States, along with Social Democratic Party (SP/PS) candidate Gisèle Ory, who was reelected for a second term. During the election campaign, he was backed by the Liberal Party (LPS/PLS) and the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC). Two years later, he was elected to the Swiss Federal Council.

2014 Swiss Federal Council

On 4 December 2013, Burkhalter was elected as President of the Swiss Confederation for the 2014 term by taking 183 of the available 222 votes of the Federal Assembly.[3][4]

On 1 January 2014 Burkhalter assumed the office as President of the Swiss Confederation. As President of the Confederation, he presided over meetings of the Federal Council and carried out representative functions that would normally be handled by a head of state in other democracies, though in Switzerland, the Federal Council as a whole is regarded as the head of state. He was also the highest-ranking official in the Swiss order of precedence and had the power to act on behalf of the whole Federal Council in emergency situations. However, in most cases, the officeholder is merely primus inter pares, with no powers over and above his six colleagues.

Burkhalter has a degree in Economics, is married to a native Austrian and the father of three children.[5]

On 14 June 2017 Burkhalter published a letter in which he announced that he will be resigning as a Federal Councillor on 31 October 2017.[6] He was succeeded by Ignazio Cassis. In April 2018, Burkhalter stated he disagreed with his colleagues on arms exports to war zones and equal pay for men and women, issues he described as "fundamental values."[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Burkhalter wird Aussen-, Berset Innenminister". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 16 December 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  2. ↑ "Didier Burkhalter passe le témoin à Ignazio Cassis" (in French). 21 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Burkhalter: «Ich werde andere Krawatten tragen als Maurer», article on the website of Swiss Radio & Television srf.ch from 4 December 2013 (in German). Retrieved 20-01-2014
  4. ↑ Ungewohntes Rampenlicht für den Aussenminister, article in the Tagesanzeiger from 25 December 2013 (in German). Retrieved 20-01-2014
  5. ↑ Didier Burkhalter - Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, at Federal Administration admin.ch (in English). Retrieved 20-01-2014
  6. ↑ Besson, Sylvain (14 June 2017). "Didier Burkhalter démissionne de ses fonctions au 31 octobre". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Foreign Minister Differed from Government on 'Fundamentals'". Swissinfo. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
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