“I am not resigning, I am only announcing that I will no longer be a candidate after the end of the current legislative period,” Berset said to Reuters, referring to the Swiss elections to be held in October 2023. Berset is also currently the longest-serving member of the Federal Council. If someone stayed in government for “more than 12 years,” he said, it would be too long and he might start to consider himself irreplaceable.
Beginnings
Alain Berset graduated in political science and economics from the University of Neuchâtel in 1996 and received his doctorate there in 2005. During his dissertation, he worked as an assistant at the Research Institute for Regional Economic Development at the University of Neuchâtel. Before taking up a position as a strategic advisor in the Department of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Neuchâtel, he first worked as a visiting researcher at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics. In 2006, he founded his own company and today works as an independent strategy and communication expert for associations, companies and non-profit organisations.
Political activities
In 2003, Berset was elected to the Council of States of the Canton of Fribourg and served as its President in 2008/2009. He held the position of Vice-President of the Socialist Group from 2005 until his election to the Federal Council. He was a member of various parliamentary commissions, including the Finance Commission, the Economic and Tax Commission, the Legal Commission and the Finance Delegation. He chaired the Political Institutions Committee, the Delegation to the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and the Council Bureau. In addition to his political positions, Alain Berset has also held the position of President of the Swiss Tenants’ Association – Western Switzerland Section, the Swiss Association for the Promotion of AOC/IGP and the Les Buissonnets Foundation for children and adults with disabilities. As head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), he is responsible for health policy and old-age provision. Both areas are seen as endless construction sites where it is hardly possible to make improvements. Berset experiences a painful defeat in September 2017 when he clearly fails with “Altersvorsorge 2020”.
Five years later, it creates a significant improvement in the AHV. The women’s pension age is expected to rise gradually to 65 from 2024 after the majority of voters gave a yes. In addition, the value-added tax for the AHV will also increase.
Elevate Your Wealth Game: Empowering UHNWIs for Simplified Asset Management. Altoo Platform Preview
The end of an era
He was appointed Federal Councillor by the United Federal Assembly on 14 December 2011. He has held the position of Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs since the first day of 2012. On 6 December 2017, he was elected President of the Swiss Confederation for the year 2018. He was re-elected President of the Swiss Confederation on 7 December 2022 for the year 2023. In June, Berset declared at a press conference in Bern that the parliamentary elections in October were not a resignation, but an announcement that he would not run again after the current legislative period.
Berset, the longest-serving member of the Federal Council at present, expressed that a membership of more than 12 years would be considered irreplaceable if it lasted too long.
In surveys, Berset is often rated as one of the most popular magistrates. With his nonchalance and global perspective, he scores points in the hectic Swiss political scene. As far as his plans after his resignation are concerned, Berset keeps a rather low profile.
