On March 12, a joint session of the Swiss parliament will meet to vote on who will succeed Viola Amherd in the Federal Council. Here’s what’s behind the special election, who will join Switzerland’s executive branch and why it matters.

Update: After just two rounds of voting on March 12, Switzerland has its new Federal Council member. Find out who it is below!

What is the Swiss Federal Council?

In Switzerland, executive power is not held by a single individual but by a group of seven people called the Federal Council. Each member of the council is responsible for a department of government, and together are able to propose changes to the law, new policies and initiatives. While one member of the council is given the title of President of Switzerland, the title is mostly symbolic.

As it stands, four parties are represented in the Federal Council, though each appointed member is expected to put their biases aside and work with other members to govern the country. According to the latest “magic formula” - an unofficial agreement that the results of the latest parliamentary election should roughly guide how many seats each party gets - the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Social Democratic Party (SP) and FDP. The Liberals are given two seats, while The Centre is given one.

Why is there a special election on March 12?

This March, the latter seat is up for grabs following the resignation of Defence Minister Viola Amherd on January 15. Speaking at a press conference at the time, Amherd said that she only stayed in the office for as long as she did “because the world situation isn't so good and because it was exciting." 

Though she “laid important groundwork" by securing greater funding for the military and doubling the percentage of women in the army, rumours of her resignation had been swirling for a while. In the week before she resigned, the SVP broke with political norms and openly called for the Federal Councillor to resign, arguing that she had presided over various procurement and equipment scandals and was pushing Switzerland too close to NATO.

How does Switzerland choose a new federal councillor?

On March 12, a joint session of parliament will vote on Amherd’s successor. The winning candidate has to secure an absolute majority (123 votes) in order to be elected, meaning that several ballots are often held. In the first and second rounds, each candidate has to get at least 10 votes to remain in the race. In the third and following rounds, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.

Though both of the official candidates are from The Centre, the fact that they must secure a majority of lawmakers forces them to engage and compromise with other parties. What’s more, other political parties may choose to launch a rival candidate to try and secure the seat for themselves - the Green Party tried and failed to do this in 2023.

Who are the candidates?

The two official candidates on March 12 are Markus Ritter and Martin Pfister. Ritter is a National Councillor for St. Gallen and the President of the Swiss Farmers’ Association. An engineer and organic farmer by trade, Ritter was first elected to the National Council in 2011.

By contrast, Martin Pfister is not in parliament and is currently a member of the governing council of Zug. A historian, he has served in Zug's cantonal parliament between 2006 and 2014 and from 2016 to today.

Federal Council election in Switzerland: When will we know the result?

The special election to the Federal Council is expected to take place between 8am and 1pm on March 12. The results of the vote, when known, will be covered below.

Martin Pfister named Switzerland's new Federal Councillor

After just two rounds of voting, Martin Pfister of Zug was elected as the new member of the Federal Council. Pfister defeated Ritter in the final round by 134 votes to 110. “It is with great joy and great respect that I accept my election,” he told the chamber.

Though it is not confirmed, Pfister - who is a colonel in the Swiss Army - is likely to take over Amherd's role as Defence Minister. "I now have two weeks to organise myself. After that, it's time to set priorities: strengthen the things that work well and set new priorities where we need to focus," he told 20 Minuten.

Thumb image credit: Olha Solodenko / Shutterstock.com