Viola Amherd, the current defense minister, will assume the role of president starting January, succeeding Alain Berset in the annual rotating honorary position within the country’s cabinet.
Beat Jans was elected by the parliament to join the seven-member cabinet, succeeding Berset, who chose to step down at the year’s end.
Despite a rightward shift in the October general election, the overall composition of the Swiss government remains unchanged, with Jans hailing from the same centre-left Social Democrat party as Berset.
The cross-party cabinet saw the re-election of other members for another four-year term, including Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider from the Social Democrat party, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter from the centre-right Free Liberals.
Transport Minister Albert Roesti and Economic Minister Guy Parmelin, both from the Swiss People’s Party, were also re-elected. The incoming president, Viola Amherd, represents the Centre party within the coalition, maintaining a government ruled by consensus.
