Berset voted Swiss President for 2018

Berset will take on Swiss presidential duties for the first time Keystone/Peter Schneider

Home Affairs Minister Alain Berset has been elected by parliament to be Switzerland’s president for 2018. The rotating office is held by a different member of the seven-member Federal Council every calendar year.

BersetExternal link is moving into the role from his current position of vice president and will take on the full presidency for the first time since becoming a Federal Council minister five years ago. The Social Democrat will take over duties from Doris Leuthard on January 1, 2018 after receiving 190 out of 210 votes cast in parliament.

On Wednesday, parliament also voted finance minister Ueli Maurer as Swiss vice president for 2018 with 178 votes.

The choice of presidency is based on seniority in the government, which means that a minister becomes president at least once every seven years for a one-year term.

Berset will juggle his new duties as president with his responsibilities as home affairs minister next year. His biggest challenge remains steering through an overhaul of Switzerland’s over-burdened pension system after voters rejected reform proposals in September.