Didier Eric Burkhalter (born 17 April 1960) is a Swiss politician who served as a

Member of the Swiss Federal Council The seven members of the Federal Council (Switzerland), Swiss Federal Council (; ; ; ) constitute the federal government of Switzerland and collectively serve as the country's head of state. Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a departm ...

from 2009 to 2017. A member of FDP.The Liberals, he was

President of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the confederation, federal president or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is as ''primus inter pares'' among the other members of the Federal Council (Switze ...

in 2014. Burkhalter was elected to the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand co ...

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. As President of the Swiss Confederation, he served as Chairman-in-Office of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...

(OSCE) in 2014. He left the Federal Council on 31 October 2017.

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 The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

(LPS/PLS) and the

Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party (, SVP; , PPS), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (, UDC; , UDC), is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Marcel Dettling, it is the largest party in ...

(SVP/UDC). Two years later, he was elected to the

On 4 December 2013, Burkhalter was elected as

for the 2014 term by taking 183 of the available 222 votes of the Federal Assembly. 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 A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

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 The Swiss order of precedence is a hierarchy of important positions within the government of Switzerland. It has no legal standing but is used by ceremonial protocol. The order of precedence is determined by the Protocol Regulations and the Ta ...

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 is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their seniority in office. H ...

'', 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. 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. He was succeeded by

Ignazio Cassis Ignazio Daniele Giovanni Cassis (; born 13 April 1961) is a Swiss physician and politician who has been a List of members of the Swiss Federal Council, Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1 November 2017. A member of FDP.The Liberals, Cas ...

. 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."

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Presidential year 2014
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(English) * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Burkhalter, Didier 1960 births FDP.The Liberals politicians Foreign ministers of Switzerland Living people Members of the Council of States (Switzerland) Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Presidents of the Swiss Confederation Interior ministers of Switzerland People from Neuchâtel University of Neuchâtel alumni

Biography

See also

References

External links