The President of the National Council of Switzerland (German: Nationalratspräsident; French: Président du Conseil national, Italian: Presidente del Consiglio nazionale; Romansh: President dal cussegl naziunal) presides over the National Council and Federal Assembly. The National Council President is often colloquially referred to as the "highest Swiss person" (German: der Höchste Schweizer), as the highest ranking person subject to the people's vote.[1] However, this is an honorary title and the president is not the head of state; the head of state is the entire Federal Council. In the official order of precedence, she or he ranks behind the members of the Federal Council, but ahead of the President of the Swiss Council of States.[2]

The President of the National Council also chairs the United Federal Assembly which meets to set elections, decides conflicts of jurisdiction between federal authorities and issues pardons.[2] The officeholder is elected by the National Council for a term of one year without the possibility and may not be elected for a second consecutive term, but may be elected to the post in the future.

List of presidents of the National Council

Year Name Canton
1848 Ulrich Ochsenbein BE
1848–49 Jakob Robert Steiger LU
1849–50 Alfred Escher ZH
1850–51 Johann Konrad Kern TG
1851 Jakob Stämpfli BE
1851–52 Johann Trog SO
1852–53 Johann M. Hungerbühler SG
1853–54 Giovanni Battista Pioda TI
1854 Jakob Dubs ZH
1854–55 Casimir Pfyffer LU
1855–56 Eduard Eugen Blösch BE
1856 Friedrich Siegfried AG
1856 Jules Martin VD
1856–57 Alfred Escher ZH
1857 Paul Migy BE
1857–58 Augustin Keller AG
1858–59 Johann Jakob Stehlin BS
1859–60 Friedrich Peyer im Hof SH
1860 Johann Baptist Weder SG
1860–61 Eduard Dapples VD
1861–62 Karl Karrer BE
1862–63 Alfred Escher ZH
1863 Joachim Heer GL
1863–64 Victor Ruffy VD
1864–65 Gottlieb Jäger AG
1865–66 Andreas Rudolf von Planta GR
1866 Niklaus Niggeler BE
1866–67 Jules Philippin NE
1867–68 Johann Jakob Stehlin BS
1868–69 Simon Kaiser SO
1869 Louis Ruchonnet VD
1869–70 Joachim Heer GL
1870–71 Fridolin Anderwert TG
1871–72 Rudolf Brunner BE
1872 Charles Friderich GE
1872–73 Daniel Wirth-Sand SG
1873–74 Gottlieb Ziegler ZH
1874 Carl Feer-Herzog AG
1874–75 Louis Ruchonnet VD
1875 Jakob Stämpfli BE
1875–76 Emil Frey BL
1876–77 Arnold Otto Aepli SG
1877–78 Eduard Marti BE
1878 Jules Philippin NE
1878–79 Melchior Römer ZH
1879–80 Arnold Künzli AG
1880–81 Karl Burckhardt BS
1881 Antoine Vessaz VD
1881/82 Karl Zyro BE
1882–83 Adolf Deucher TG
1883–84 Simon Kaiser SO
1884 Georges Favon GE
1884–85 Johannes Stössel ZH
1885–86 Andrea Bezzola GR
1886–87 Henri Morel NE
1887 Josef Zemp LU
1887–88 Erwin Kurz AG
1888–89 Eugène Ruffy VD
1889–90 Heinrich Häberlin TG
1890 August Suter SG
1890–91 Eduard Müller BE
1891–92 Adrien Lachenal GE
1892–93 Albert Brosi SO
1893 Ludwig Forrer ZH
1893–94 Robert Comtesse NE
1894–95 Ernst Brenner BS
1895–96 Jakob Huldreich Bachmann TG
1896 Joseph Stockmar BE
1896 Rudolf Gallati GL
1896–97 Johann Josef Keel SG
1897–98 Robert Grieshaber SH
1898–99 Adrien Thélin VD
1899 Hermann Heller LU
1899–1900 Rudolf Geilinger ZH
1900–01 Fritz Bühlmann BE
1901–02 Gustave Ador GE
1902 Ulrich Meister ZH
1902 Clemens Iten ZG
1902–03 Konrad Zschokke AG
1903–04 Louis Martin NE
1904–05 Josef Anton Schobinger LU
1905–06 Johann Hirter BE
1906–07 Camille Decoppet VD
1907–08 Paul Speiser BS
1908–09 Adolf Germann TG
1909–10 Virgile Rossel BE
1910–11 Josef Kuntschen VS
1911–12 Karl Emil Wild SG
1912–13 Carl Spahn SH
1913–14 Alfred von Planta GR
1914–15 Felix Bonjour VD
1915–16 Arthur Eugster AR
1916–17 Anton Büeler SZ
1917–18 Henri Calame NE
1918–19 Heinrich Häberlin TG
1919–20 Eduard Blumer GL
1920–21 Evaristo Garbani-Nerini TI
1921–22 Emil Klöti ZH
1922–23 Johann Jenny BE
1923–24 Raymond Evéquoz VS
1924–25 Albert Mächler SG
1925–26 Emil Hofmann TG
1926–27 Paul Maillefer VD
1927–28 Rudolf Minger BE
1928–29 Heinrich Walther LU
1929–30 Ernest-Paul Graber NE
1930–31 Hans Sträuli ZH
1931–32 Heinrich Roman Abt AG
1932–33 Ruggero Dollfus TI
1933–34 Johannes Huber SG
1934–35 Hermann Schüpbach BE
1935–36 Rudolf Reichling ZH
1936–37 Maurice Troillet VS
1937–38 Fritz Hauser BS
1938–39 Henry Vallotton VD
1939–40 Hans Stähli BE
1940–41 Emil Nietlispach AG
1941–42 Charles Rosselet GE
1942–43 Emil Keller AG
1943–44 Paul Gysler ZH
1944–45 Pierre Aeby FR
1945–46 Robert Grimm BE
1946–47 Max Wey LU
1947–48 Albert Picot GE
1948–49 Josef Escher VS
1949–50 Jacques Schmid SO
1950–51 Aleardo Pini TI
1951–52 Karl Renold AG
1952–53 Thomas Holenstein SG
1953–54 Henri Perret NE
1954–55 Hermann Häberlin ZH
1955–56 Paul Burgdorfer BE
1956–57 Joseph Condrau GR
1957–58 Robert Bratschi BE
1958–59 Eugen Dietschi BS
1959–60 Gaston Clottu NE
1960–61 Emil Duft ZH
1961–62 Walther Bringolf SH
1962–63 André Guinand GE
1963–64 Otto Hess TG
1964–65 Franz Josef Kurmann LU
1965–66 Pierre Graber VD
1966–67 Alfred Schaller BS
1967–68 Hans Conzett ZH
1968–69 Max Aebischer FR
1969–70 Mathias Eggenberger SG
1970–71 Alfred Weber UR
1971–72 William Vontobel ZH
1972–73 Enrico Franzoni TI
1973–74 Anton Muheim LU
1974–75 Simon Kohler BE
1975–76 Rudolf Etter BE
1976–77 Hans Wyer VS
1977 Elisabeth Blunschy SZ
1977–78 Alfred Bussey VD
1978–79 Luigi Generali TI
1979–80 Hanspeter Fischer TG
1980–81 Laurent Butty FR
1981–82 Hedi Lang ZH
1982–83 Franz Eng SO
1983–84 André Gautier GE
1984–85 Arnold Koller AI
1985–86 Martin Bundi GR
1986–87 Jean-Jacques Cevey VD
1987–88 Rudolf Reichling ZH
1988–89 Josef Iten NW
1989–90 Victor Ruffy VD
1990–91 Ulrich Bremi ZH
1991–92 Hans-Rudolf Nebiker BL
1992–93 Paul Schmidhalter VS
1993–94 Gret Haller BE
1994–95 Claude Frey NE
1995–96 Jean-François Leuba VD
1996–97 Judith Stamm LU
1997–98 Ernst Leuenberger SO
1998–99 Trix Heberlein ZH
1999–2000 Hanspeter Seiler BE
2000–01 Peter Hess ZG
2001–02 Liliane Maury Pasquier GE
2002–03 Yves Christen VD
2003–04 Max Binder ZH
2004–05 ² Jean-Philippe Maitre GE
2005 Thérèse Meyer FR
2005–06 Claude Janiak BL
2006–07 Christine Egerszegi AG
2007–08 André Bugnon VD
2008–09 Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi TI
2009–10 Pascale Bruderer AG
2010–11 Jean-René Germanier VS
2011–12 Hansjörg Walter TG
2012–13 Maya Graf BL
2013–14 Ruedi Lustenberger LU
2014–15 Stéphane Rossini VS
2015–16 Christa Markwalder BE
2016–17 Jürg Stahl ZH
2017–18 Dominique de Buman FR
2018–19 Marina Carobbio Guscetti TI
2019–20 Isabelle Moret VD
2020–21 Andreas Aebi BE
2021–22 Irène Kälin AG
2022–23 Martin Candinas GR
2023–24 Eric Nussbaumer BL

² resigned per 1 March 2005

Statistics by canton

These counts by canton do not take in account the varying number of members of the National Council per canton (in 2005: 1-34 members).

Presidencies Cantons
28 Bern
23 Zürich
20 Vaud
14 Aargau
12 St. Gallen
10 Geneva, Neuchâtel, Thurgau
9 Lucerne
8 Basel-Stadt
7 Solothurn, Ticino, Valais
6 Grisons
4 Freiburg, Glarus, Schaffhausen, Basel-Landschaft
3
2 Schwyz, Zug
1 Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Nidwalden, Uri
0 Jura, Obwalden

See also

References

  1. ^ "Die wirklich Wichtigen und Mächtigen der Schweiz". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 2013-12-23.
  2. ^ a b "Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation". Confederation of Switzerland. Retrieved 2020-08-06.

External links

Categories