Martin Pfister

Martin Pfister (; born 31 July 1963) is a Swiss historian and politician of the Centre. He has served as a (Cantonal Minister) of Zug since 2016, responsible for the health department. He is a trained teacher and an in the Swiss Army, having served for eight years in disaster response.

Pfister was elected to succeed Viola Amherd on the Federal Council on 12 March 2025 and two days later it was announced that he would also replace Amherd as head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport.

Biography

Political career

Pfister's political career began with his election into the Cantonal Council () of Zug in 2006, an office he held until 2016. From 2009 until 2012, he held the role of party leader () of the CVP in Zug. In the by-elections of 17 January 2016 for the Executive Council () of the Canton of Zug, Pfister was elected to fill the vacancy of Peter Hegglin. He led the health department of Zug from 2016 to 2025. As the head of the Conference of Central Swiss Health Directors, Pfister had a prominent role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the most votes of any candidate in the 2022 Executive Council elections.

In 2025, Pfister was elected into the Federal Council to replace Viola Amherd. His taking over the leadership of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport was expected and officially confirmed in the redistribution of departments amongst Federal Councillors two days after the election. Initially, Pfister's opponent Markus Ritter was seen as the favorite, having far more influence in national politics. Pfister announced his candidacy at the last moment and spent several days in private afterwards, leading to him being described as an "alibi candidate". During his campaign, he focused on large geopolitical issues, often answering questions hesitantly or with "there I pull the joker". In contrast to Ritter, who aggressively presented himself as a problem-solver, Pfister spoke slowly and calmly.

Personal life and education

Pfister was born 31 July 1963 in Zug and grew up there and in Allenwinden, where he also currently resides with his family.

As a young man, Pfister was active in the scouts () in Baar with the scout name . During his military service, he attended officer school in Wangen an der Aare, where he was noted for his physical resilience, once even carrying two backpacks. During his military training, Pfister worked as an assistant to Professor at the University of Fribourg. He studied history and German studies, in particular also the history of Swiss Federal Councillors and wrote his thesis about Philipp Etter, an early Federal Councillor from Zug. Despite the recommendation of his professor, Pfister chose not to pursue an academic career.

Pfister is married to Cacilda Giacometti Pfister. Together, they parent a patchwork family with four children.

Political positions

Pfister is against loosening the debt brake, instead preferring to increase revenue by raising the value added tax. His positions were described in the ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' (NZZ) as "liberal in social and economic questions".

Pfister's colleagues on the Executive Council in Zug have described him as "very collegial", with political opponents praising his openness to discussion. However, his readiness to compromise was also criticized as lacking decisiveness, a quality described by the NZZ as "an embodiment of The Centre like no other".

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfister, Martin
1963 births
Living people
People from Zug
The Centre politicians
21st-century Swiss politicians
Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland)
Defence ministers of Switzerland