Claude Janiak (born 30 October 1948) is a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

politician of Polish origin, lawyer and President of the Swiss National Council for the 2005/2006 term. Member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(SPS), he was elected to the National Council in 1999 in the canton of

Basel-Land Canton of Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country, informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; ; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital ...

and reelected in 2003. In 2007, he was elected to the

Swiss Council of States The Council of States is a house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the other house being the National Council. As the powers of the houses are the same, it is sometimes called perfect bicameralism. It comprises 46 members. Twenty of t ...

. He studied law at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

(1967–1971) and in London. In 1975, he completed his doctorate degree. He is attorney-at-law in Binningen since 1978. From 1991, he is a member of the board of the cantonal bank of Basel-Land ('' Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank''). He was a member of the cantonal parliament of

Basel-Landschaft Canton of Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country, informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; ; ; ; ), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital city is Liestal. It is traditional ...

(1981–1987 and 1994–1999, president 1998/1999), of the city parliament of Binningen (1988–1995), and of the executive of

Bubendorf Bubendorf is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Liestal (district), Liestal in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. History Bubendorf is first mentioned in 1152 as ''Bouenonowe''. Ge ...

(1976–1979). Born in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

of Polish father and a Swiss mother, he acquired Swiss citizenship only in 1956 (he has also been a Polish citizen since birth). Today, he is a citizen of

and Binningen. He was the first openly

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

President of the Swiss National Council and lives in a

registered partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with chi ...

.http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?article_id=4384&sec=article

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Janiak Freivogel und Partner
– attorneys-at-law * 1948 births Living people 20th-century Swiss lawyers Gay politicians Swiss LGBTQ politicians Swiss people of Polish descent Members of the Council of States (Switzerland) Presidents of the National Council (Switzerland) Social Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians LGBTQ legislators Swiss gay men 20th-century Swiss LGBTQ people 21st-century Swiss LGBTQ people Members of the National Council (Switzerland) 1999–2003 Members of the National Council (Switzerland) 2003–2007 {{Switzerland-politician-stub