Merry-go-round: how Swiss government ministries are allocated

The Swiss government in its current composition. Simonetta Sommaruga (third from the left) and Ueli Maurer (second from the right) will step down at the end of the year. Keystone / Stefano Spinelli

When new federal ministers are elected, a reshuffle of ministries often follows. How does it all work?

On Wednesday, the Swiss parliament appointed two new members of the Federal Council, the executive body: Albert Rösti of the Swiss People’s Party and the left-leaning Social Democrat Elisabeth Baume-Schneider have been chosen to replace Ueli Maurer and Simonetta Sommaruga. Thursday has seen the announcement of a reshuffle of government departments among the seven members.

Who got what?

Albert Rösti: environment ministry

Elisabeth Baume-Schneider: justice ministry

Karin Keller-Sutter: finance ministry 

Alain Berset: interior ministry (as before)

Ignazio Cassis: foreign ministry (as before)

Viola Amherd: defence ministry (as before)

Guy Parmelin: economics ministry (as before)

How are the departments decided?

It’s the seven government ministers themselves who decide the allocation of the seven departments. The principle of seniority applies. This means that the longest-serving member gets first choice and the others follow based on the date of their election to the Federal Council.

These choices are then approved by the entire seven-member body. If they cannot agree, a vote is held. But no one is allowed to object. According to parliamentary regulations, Federal Council members have to accept the department assigned to them by their peers.

Who is the most senior member of cabinet?

With the departure of Maurer and Sommaruga, Interior Minister Alain Berset is now the most senior member of cabinet. He has served since 2012 and therefore gets first choice among the departments. Next come Economics Minister Guy Parmelin (2016), Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (2017), and then Defence Minister Viola Amherd and Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter (both 2019). After that, the newcomers, Rösti and Baume-Schneider, take their turns.

Which is the most popular department?

Maurer and Sommaruga leave behind two highly coveted departments. Sommaruga’s environment ministry, which also covers energy, transport and communications, plays a key role in the current energy crisis. Political scientist Adrian Vatter describes the ministry as a wide-ranging department that is difficult to manage because it is made up of very disparate sectors. But it is also a key department in which it is possible to exert great influence.

Maurer’s finance ministry is also a popular one. The minister in charge manages the state treasury and therefore has a say in many matters that affect other departments. According to Vatter, this minister basically has a veto on budgetary expenditure. “So he or she is a very powerful person,” he says.

Which is the least popular department?

The defence ministry is described by some as the soft landing for beginners. As a novice, Amherd, the current defence minister, had to make do with this department after her election in 2018. Her three predecessors, Guy Parmelin, Ueli Maurer and Samuel Schmid, also started off their government tenure in the defence ministry.

The same can be said of the justice ministry. It was the first ministry position of its current head, Keller-Sutter. Her predecessors Sommaruga, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Christoph Blocher and Ruth Metzler also took over this ministry on their appointment to the government.

The foreign ministry, currently held by Ignazio Cassis, is also generally not top of the list, due to its limited influence on domestic policy.

Adapted from French by Isobel Leybold-Johnson

The story was amended in the afternoon to take account of the announcement of ministries.