Federal Chancellor of Switzerland
Incumbent Corina Casanova since 1 January 2008
Residence	Federal Palace
Inaugural holder	Jean Marc Samuel Isaac Mousson
Formation	1803
Website	Chancellor of Switzerland

Switzerland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Switzerland

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The Federal Chancellor (German: Bundeskanzler(in); French: Chancelier(-ière) fédéral(e); Italian: Cancelliere(-a) della Confederazione; Romansh: Chancelier(a) federal(a)) is the head of the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland, which acts as the general staff of the seven-member Federal Council (the federal government). The Swiss Chancellor is not a member of the government, and his or her position is not comparable to that of the Chancellor of Germany.

Contents 1 Appointment mechanism 2 The chancellor's role 3 List of Federal Chancellors 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Appointment mechanism

Although the chancellor only has a technocratic role, the position is a political appointment made by a vote of the Federal Assembly (the federal parliament) for a term of 4 years.

One or two Vice-Chancellors (before 1852 this position was called the State Secretary of the Confederation) are also appointed, contrary to the chancellor, their appointment is made directly by the Federal Council.

[edit] The chancellor's role

The chancellor attends meetings of the Federal Council (although he or she does not have a vote), and prepares the Federal Council's reports to the Federal Assembly on its policy and activities. The chancellery is also responsible for the publication of all federal laws.

[edit] List of Federal Chancellors

From-To			Born-Died	Canton
1803–1830	Jean Marc Samuel Isaac Mousson		1776–1861	Vaud
1830–1847	Karl Nikolaus von Flüe AmRhyn		1800–1849	Lucerne

From-To	Federal Chancellor		Born-Died	Party	Canton
1848–1881	Johann Ulrich Schiess		1813–1883		Appenzell Outer-Rhodes
1882–1909	Gottlieb Ringier		1837–1929		Aargau
1910–1918	Hans Schatzmann		1848–1923	FDP/PRD	Aargau
1919–1925	Adolf von Steiger		1859–1925	FDP/PRD	Berne
1925–1934	Robert Käslin		1871–1934	FDP/PRD	Nidwalden
1934–1943	George Bovet		1874–1946	FDP/PRD	Neuchâtel
1944–1951	Oskar Leimgruber		1886–1976	Konservative Volkspartei	Fribourg
1951–1967	Charles Oser		1902–1994	FDP/PRD	Basel-City
1968–1981	Karl Huber		1915–2002	CVP/PDC	St. Gallen
1981–1991	Walter Buser		1926–	SPS/PSS	Basel-Country
1991–1999	François Couchepin		1935–	FDP/PRD	Valais
2000–2007	Annemarie Huber-Hotz		1948–	FDP/PRD	Zug
2008–	Corina Casanova		1956–	CVP/PDC	Graubünden

[edit] See also

• Politics of Switzerland
• List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation
• List of members of the Swiss Federal Council
• Lists of office-holders

[edit] References

• Federal Chancellor of Switzerland in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Hans-Urs Willi. "The Chancellor: a few historical highlights on the developement of ther person and the office from ancient times to the Middle Ages and the Zenden Republic of Valais". In Klaus, Michel (editor): Quelle chance pour nos institutions? Mélanges offerts à Monsieur François Couchepin, chancelier de la Confédération à l'occasion de son 60e anniversaire / Festschrift für Bundeskanzler François Couchepin zum 60. Geburtstag. Schlieren 1995. Translated by Paul Suffrin and Elsbeth Hagan.

[edit] External links

• Official web site of the Federal Chancellery
• A Walk through the History of the Federal Chancellery, in German, French and Italian, on the web site of the Federal Chancellery

v • d • e Federal Chancellors of Switzerland (list) Schiess · Ringier · Schatzmann · Steiger · Käslin · Bovet · Leimgruber · Oser · Huber · Buser · Couchepin · Huber-Hotz · Casanova