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The Swiss government seen in a different perspective

The official photo shows the cabinet ministers and the chief of staff around the 2019 Swiss President at the centre taking a picture of a crowd of people.

The eight people pose in front of silhouette with some typically Swiss trademark symbols, including the Matterhorn mountain, a pair of skis, a Swiss army knife and the cheese fondue pot.    

A group of apprentices from the finance ministry came up with the visual idea, and were given a free hand to realise it, the Federal Chancellery said on Monday.

The only condition was to take the photo with a smartphone.

The government has printed 45,000 copies of the photo.

Similar group photos for the new year have been a tradition in Switzerland since the 1990s.

The role of Swiss president rotates on an annual basis among the seven cabinet members, also referred to as Federal Council. The chancellor acts as chief of staff.   

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