Aargau,more formally the Canton of Aargau,is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau.
Arnold Koller is a Swiss professor and politician. He served as a member of the Federal Council (Switzerland) from 1987 to 1999 for the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP). Koller previously served as a member of the National Council (Switzerland) from 1971 to 1986. He did also serve two terms of the as President of the Swiss Confederation in 1990 and 1997. He is primarily known for Lex Koller,a Swiss Federal Act on Acquisitions of Real Estate by Persons Abroad,which he initiated.
The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since after World War II,the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand coalition government composed of representatives of the country's major parties and language regions.
The Swiss Party of Labour is a communist party in Switzerland.
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland,also called the Christian Democratic Party,Democratic People's Party and Swiss Christian Democratic Party,was a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. On 1 January 2021,it merged with the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP/PBD) to form The Centre,which now operates at the federal level. The Christian Democratic People's Party will continue to exist at the cantonal level as individual local and regional parties determine their status. Its 28 seats in the National Council and 13 seats in the Council of States were transferred to the new party,as was its sole seat on the Federal Council,held by Viola Amherd.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Switzerland since 1 July 2022. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples passed the Swiss Parliament in December 2020. The law was challenged in a referendum on 26 September 2021 by opponents of same-sex marriage and was approved with the support of 64% of voters and a majority in all 26 cantons. The law went into force on 1 July 2022. A provision of the law permitting same-sex marriages performed abroad to be recognised in Switzerland took effect on 1 January 2022. Switzerland was the seventeenth country in Europe and the 30th in the world to allow same-sex couples to marry.
Killwangen is a municipality in the district of Baden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
Two by-elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held in Switzerland on 22 September 2010,after federal councillors Moritz Leuenberger (SP) and Hans-Rudolf Merz announced they would step down from the Federal Council towards the end of the year. The by-elections resulted in the elections of Simonetta Sommaruga from the SP and Johann Schneider-Ammann from the FDP,resulting in no change in the partisan composition of the council. It also resulted in the first majority of women on the Federal Council in its history,with Sommaruga joining Micheline Calmy-Rey,Doris Leuthard and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf.
Karin Keller-Sutter is a Swiss politician who has served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2019. A member of FDP. The Liberals,she is the head of the Federal Department of Finance. Keller-Sutter previously served as President of the Council of States for the 2017–2018 term,and has served as vice president of Switzerland for the 2024 term since 1 January.
Albert Rösti is a Swiss businessman,lobbyist and politician who has been a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1 January 2023. He previously presided over the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) from 2016 to 2020 and served as a member of the National Council for the canton of Bern from 2011 until 2022. Rösti resides in Uetendorf near Thun.
Viola Patricia Amherd is a Swiss politician who has served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2019,and as President of the Swiss Confederation for 2024 since 1 January. She is the head of the Federal Department of Defence,Civil Protection and Sport. Amherd was a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC) before it merged with the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD) to form The Centre (DM/LC) in 2021,which she joined.
The Centre is a centre to centre-right political party in Switzerland. It was formed through the merger of the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (CVP/PDC) and the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP/PBD). Following the formal merger of the parties on 1 January 2021,it has 29 of 200 seats in the National Council and 15 of 46 seats in the Council of States. Viola Amherd is the party's representative on the Federal Council.
Élisabeth Baume-Schneider is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) and a current member of the Federal Council. She was elected on 7 December 2022,the first elected member from the Canton of Jura.
An election for all seven members of the Federal Council,the Government of Switzerland,was held on 11 December 2019,following the federal election on 20 October 2019,for the 2020–2024 term.
Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter is a Swiss jurist and politician of The Centre.
Barbara Schmid-Federer is a Swiss politician,educator,and philanthropist. A member of the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland,she was elected to a seat in the National Council in 2007,serving until 2018. As a member of the National Council,Schmid-Federer spearheaded family policy and children's safety initiatives,including public breastfeeding and cyberbullying prevention in her platforms. She was appointed as president of Pro Juventute in 2019 and served in that capacity until 2022,when she assumed the role of Vice President. She served as President of the Swiss Red Cross between 2022 and 2023.
By-elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held on 5 December 2018,after federal councillors Johann Schneider-Ammann (FDP-BE) and Doris Leuthard (CVP-AG) announced in September they would leave the Council effective 31 December of the same year.
Marianne Binder-Keller is a Swiss communications professional and politician who currently serves as member of the National Council (Switzerland) for The Centre since 2019. Binder-Keller currently is a member-elect of the Council of States (Switzerland) after being elected during the second ballot in the 2023 Swiss federal election which was held on 19 November 2023. She defeated Benjamin Giezendanner by roughly 5,000 votes.
Benjamin Giezendanner is a Swiss businessman and politician who currently serves as a member of the National Council (Switzerland) for the Swiss People's Party (SVP) since 2019. He previously served on the Grand Council of Aargau being elected as the youngest member only aged 18 in 2001. In the 2023 Swiss federal election he was a candidate for Council of States (Switzerland),but lost election against Marianne Binder-Keller. Giezendanner is the youngest son of former National Councillor Ulrich Giezendanner and brother of incumbent Grand Councillor Stefan Giezendanner.
Maya Ines Bally Frehner is a Swiss politician who currently serves on the National Council (Switzerland) for The Centre succeeding Marianne Binder-Keller during the 2023 Swiss federal election who was ultimately elected into Council of States (Switzerland). Since 2013,she concurrently serves on the Grand Council of Aargau.
