Swiss President Guy Parmelin to step down and make way for ‘new blood’

Swiss President Guy Parmelin will step down at the end of the year. Keystone-SDA

Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin, who also holds the rotating presidency this year, is stepping down at the end of December after 11 years in government.

Visibly relaxed and with his characteristic sense of humour, the 66-year-old winegrower from Bursins in French-speaking Switzerland announced his resignation to the media in Bern on Friday. Rumours of his resignation had been circulating for some time. There had been repeated speculation about his state of health, with frequent reports that he was suffering from back problems.

However, Parmelin said his decision had nothing to do with his health. After 11 years in government, the member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party wanted to make way for “new blood in these times of great uncertainty”.

“The passion for the job is no longer as strong as it was at the start,” Parmelin admitted, while ruling out any health issues. However, he stressed that he would continue working until December 31 “at 11:59pm at the very latest”. “After that, I’ll spend six months clearing out my office.”

Explaining that he had spent the summer reflecting, Parmelin believed that at some point “you have to make a decision, and the graveyard is full of people who thought they were indispensable”. “I hope there will be several motivated candidates, including both members of parliament and cantonal elected representatives, when my party opens the call for nominations,” he said.

The People’s Party has already announced that candidates have until October 23 to come forward. The election is due to take place on December 9.

‘Increasingly burdensome’

At the press conference Swissinfo asked Parmelin what the hardest moment in his career had been. “One of the most difficult moments was the Covid-19 crisis, when we had to announce the closure of many businesses and activities. I saw entrepreneurs who were devastated and afraid they would go bankrupt,” he said. “But when I look at what happened in other countries, I think we came through it relatively well. Nevertheless, it was a very difficult period. I remember meeting people during those two weeks when everything was closed who had tears in their eyes.”

The role of Federal Councillor is very interesting “but increasingly burdensome”, Parmelin acknowledged. “Since 2016, there have been an increasing number of conferences at presidential level. The government must therefore find a way to ensure that Switzerland is not absent from such events.”

He emphasised that Switzerland was ready to rise to the challenges, thanks to sound public finances and innovative businesses. But “nothing can ever be taken for granted”, he warned. Parmelin called on Switzerland not to fall behind.

“The world and the geopolitical landscape are changing, and we must adapt. Gone are the days when you could simply make a phone call to arrange a meeting with a leader.” He added that “if we do not adapt, if Switzerland does not take the necessary decisions to avoid falling behind, we risk a rude awakening.”

He experienced such a rude awakening in August 2025, when US President Donald Trump announced a tariff of 39% for Switzerland. “A real hammer blow,” he recalls.

Conversely, Parmelin felt that the government had managed to steer Switzerland through the Covid pandemic “in a gentle manner” by international standards. Schools were closed for only about a fortnight.

Number of successes

Parmelin succeeded Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf in government in December 2015. He first took the reins of the defence ministry before moving to the economics ministry in 2019. He held the rotating one-year presidency on two occasions. In 2021, he guided Switzerland through the Covid crisis and managed the abandonment of negotiations with the EU on a framework agreement.

Rumours of his resignation had been rife in recent weeks. Parmelin will leave having achieved a number of successes, notably the free-trade agreements with India and Mercosur.

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Translated from German and French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.