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2 Statistics/trivia |
Notes:
1Members are elected by federal parliament for a four year term and traditionally re-elected. If the predecessor died in office, date of election, otherwise - if available - first day in office.
2Not reelected (Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel, Ulrich Ochsenbein, Ruth Metzler-Arnold)
3The office was previously declined by the first person elected:
11.7.1855 Johann Stehlin (1803-1879) BS;
18.12.1875 Charles Estoppey (1820-1888) VD;
10.12.1875 Antoine Louis John Ruchonnet (1834-1893) VD, accepted later;
22.2.1881 Karl Hoffmann (1820-1895) SG;
03.03.1993 Francis Matthey (1942-2002) NE.
4Exceptionally low representation of the French and Italian speaking cantons, compared to the German speaking ones (1:6). In recent years, those are overrepresented 3:4 (proportional to their population).
5Since 1959: Magic formula (Zauberformel) of party composition (proportional to parties in federal parliament): FDP/PRD 2, CVP/PDC 2, SPS/PSS 2, SVP/UDC 1.
6Change to magic formula of party composition (again proportional to parties in federal parliament): FDP/PRD 2, SPS/PSS 2, SVP/UDC 2, CVP/PDC 1.
Statistics/trivia
Political party of the councilors
| Parties | Members1 | Years in office 1 |
|---|---|---|
| FDP/PRD (Freisinnige, parti radical) | 67 | |
| LPS/PLS | 1 | |
| CVP/PDC (formerly KVP) | 19 | |
| SVP/UDC | 9 | |
| SPS/PSS | 12 |
1 Louis Perrier in 1913
Rudolf Friedrich in 1984
2 Gustave Ador in 1919
Jean Bourgknecht in 1962
Max Weber in 1954
Victor Ruffy in 1869
3 Eugène Borel in 1875
Joachim Heer in 1878
Josef Anton Schobinger in 1911
4 Alphons Egli in 1986
Elisabeth Kopp in 1989
Josef Escher in 1954
Ruth Metzler-Arnold in 2003
5 Ernst Wetter in 1943
Fridolin Anderwert in 1880
Fritz Honegger in 1982
Giuseppe Lepori in 1959
Hermann Obrecht in 1940
Paul Cérésole in 1875
René Felber in 1993
Thomas Holenstein in 1959
31 Numa Droz in 1875
34 Jakob Stämpfli in 1854
35 Ruth Metzler-Arnold in 1999
36 Constant Fornerod in 1855
Eugène Borel in 1872
37 Ulrich Ochsenbein in 1848
38 Paul Cérésole in 1870
39 Eugène Ruffy in 1893
Jakob Dubs in 1861
Marcel Pilet-Golaz in 1928
40 Eugène Borel in 1875
43 Jakob Stämpfli in 1863
Paul Cérésole in 1875
Ulrich Ochsenbein in 1854
46 Victor Ruffy in 1869
48 Constant Fornerod in 1867
Numa Droz in 1892
50 Adrien Lachenal in 1899
Jakob Dubs in 1872
Years in office
31 Karl Schenk in 1895
29 Adolf Deucher in 1912
28 Giuseppe Motta in 1940
27 Wilhelm Matthias Naeff in 1875
25 Emil Welti in 1891
Eugène Ruffy in 1919
Giovanni Battista Pioda in 1882
Philipp Etter in 1959
24 Eduard Müller in 1919
22 Edmund Schulthess in 1935
Robert Comtesse in 1922
20 Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel in 1875
(w/o councilors currently in office)Age when elected
72 Gustave Ador in 1917
65 Josef Escher in 1950
63 Louis Perrier in 1912
Christoph Blocher in 2003
62 Ernest Chuard in 1919
61 Ernst Wetter in 1938
Hans Streuli in 1953
Pierre Graber in 1969
60 Fritz Honegger in 1977
Johannes Baumann in 1934
Age when resigning/dying in office
81 Adolf Deucher in 1912
75 Robert Comtesse in 1922
74 Giovanni Battista Pioda in 1882
Gustave Ador in 1919
Joseph Zemp in 1908
73 Wilhelm Matthias Naeff in 1875
72 Karl Schenk in 1895
Ludwig Forrer in 1917
71 Eduard Müller in 1919
Ernest Chuard in 1928
Simeon Bavier in 1896
70 Arthur Hoffmann in 1927
Eduard von Steiger in 1951
Pierre Graber in 1978
69 Giuseppe Motta in 1940
Josef Escher in 1954
68 Albert Meyer in 1938
Bernhard Hammer in 1890
Georges-André Chevallaz in 1983
Otto Stich in 1995
Philipp Etter in 1959
Willy Spühler in 1970
67 Edmund Schulthess in 1935
Hans Streuli in 1959
66 Arnold Koller in 1999
Emil Welti in 1891
Ernst Wetter in 1943
Friedrich Traugott Wahlen in 1965
Heinrich Häberlin in 1934
Johannes Baumann in 1940
Roger Bonvin in 1973
Years alive after resigning from office
36 Ulrich Ochsenbein, died in 1890
33 Max Petitpierre in 1994
32 Constant Fornerod in 1899
Felix-Louis Calonder in 1952
30 Enrico Celio in 1980
Paul Cérésole in 1905
29 Hans-Peter Tschudi in 2002
25 Emil Frey in 1922
Pierre Graber in 2003
22 Nello Celio in 1995
Age
95 Max Petitpierre in 1994 (born 1899)
94 Pierre Graber in 2003
90 Enrico Celio in 1980
88 Felix-Louis Calonder in 1952
Hans-Peter Tschudi in 2002
Willy Spühler in 1990
87 Georges-André Chevallaz in 2002
86 Friedrich Traugott Wahlen in 1985
Philipp Etter in 1977
See also: Politics of Switzerland - Presidents of the Swiss Confederation - Executive branch - Incumbents