Hans-Rudolf Merz

Last updated
Hans-Rudolf Merz
Hans-Rudolf Merz, 2009.jpg
President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2009 –31 December 2009
Vice President Doris Leuthard
Preceded by Pascal Couchepin
Succeeded by Doris Leuthard
11th Vice President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2008 –31 December 2008
President Pascal Couchepin
Preceded by Pascal Couchepin
Succeeded by Doris Leuthard
Head of the Department of Finance
In office
1 January 2004 –1 November 2010
Preceded by Kaspar Villiger
Succeeded by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Member of the Swiss Federal Council
In office
1 January 2004 –1 November 2010
Preceded by Kaspar Villiger
Succeeded by Johann Schneider-Ammann
Personal details
Born (1942-11-10) 10 November 1942 (age 78)
Herisau, Switzerland
Political party Free Democratic Party (before 2009)
FDP.The Liberals (2009–present)
Spouse(s)Roswitha Merz
Children3
Alma mater University of St. Gallen
Profession Management consultant

Hans-Rudolf Merz (born 10 November 1942) is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2004 to 2010. A member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) until the foundation of FDP.The Liberals in 2009, he headed the Federal Department of Finance during his tenure as a Federal Councillor. [1] Merz served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2009. [2]

Contents

Biography

Education

Born in Herisau in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, he studied at Hochschule St. Gallen and graduated in 1971 with a DEA's degree. Merz was a Scout and visited the National Jamboree of Switzerland in July 2008. [3] [4] He is married and a father of three sons.

Early political career

From 1969 to 1974, he was party secretary of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) in St. Gallen. From 1974 to 1977 he worked as vice president for UBS's Wolfsberg formation centre in Ermatingen. Since then he has worked as a management consultant. In 1997 he was elected to the Swiss Council of States for the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. He presided over the finance committee and was a member of the foreign policy committee.

Swiss Federal Council

Merz was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 10 December 2003 and took office on 1 January 2004. At the time he was on the board of directors of the Helvetia-Patria insurance company and Anova Holding. He was also a member of the board of trustees of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation.

2009 Swiss Federal Council Bundesrat der Schweiz 2009.jpg
2009 Swiss Federal Council

On 20 September 2008, whilst in Eastern Switzerland, Merz was rushed to hospital, having suffered from a heart attack. He was soon flown to Bern University Hospital, where he had a multiple bypass operation. He was also placed into an artificial coma. This led to a reorganisation of the cabinet and the absence of President Pascal Couchepin from the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. [5] On 10 December 2008, as the Member of the Federal Council that had not been its president for the longest time, Merz was elected President of the Confederation for 2009. In the Federal Assembly, the 66-year-old received 185 out of 209 valid votes. He succeeded Free Democratic Party colleague Pascal Couchepin. Doris Leuthard was elected as Vice President of the Confederation, succeeding Merz.

On 20 September 2010, a recording of Merz replying to a question about meat imports in the Federal Assembly [6] became a viral video, drawing international attention. Merz convulsed with laughter when reading the dense bureaucratic language of the reply drafted for him by customs officials. [7] He was supposed to provide information if the sales of notably Bündnerfleisch in Switzerland is endangered by meat imports. [8]

Works

Related Research Articles

Moritz Leuenberger 85th President of the Swiss Confederation

Moritz Leuenberger is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010 and President of the Confederation in 2001 and in 2006.

Otto Stich Swiss politician

Otto Stich was a Swiss politician.

Cantons of Switzerland Member states of the Swiss Confederation

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the Waldstätte. Two important periods in the development of the Old Swiss Confederacy are summarized by the terms Acht Orte and Dreizehn Orte.

Josef Munzinger Swiss politician

Martin Josef Munzinger was a Swiss politician.

Council of States (Switzerland) Upper house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland

The Council of States is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. It is considered the Assembly's upper house, with the National Council being the lower house. It comprises 46 members.

Appenzell Innerrhoden Canton of Switzerland

Appenzell Innerrhoden is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of six districts. The seat of the government and parliament is Appenzell. It is traditionally considered a "half-canton", the other half being Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

Appenzell Ausserrhoden Canton of Switzerland

Appenzell Ausserrhoden is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the government and parliament is Herisau, and the seat of judicial authorities are in Trogen. It is traditionally considered a "half-canton", the other half being Appenzell Innerrhoden.

Herisau Municipality in Switzerland in Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Herisau is a municipality of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated in Trogen.

Canton of St. Gallen Canton of Switzerland

The canton of St. Gallen, also canton of St Gall, is a canton of Switzerland. The capital is St. Gallen.

Appenzell Historical canton of Switzerland

Appenzell is a historic canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen.

Didier Burkhalter 94th President of the Swiss Confederation

Didier Eric Burkhalter is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2009 to 2017. A member of FDP.The Liberals, he was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2014.

On December 12, 2007, all seven members of the Federal Council, the government of Switzerland, were elected by the joint chambers of the Federal Assembly for the 2008–2012 term of office. Councillors are elected individually by an absolute majority of votes, with the incumbent councillors defending their seats in descending order of seniority.

Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf 92nd President of the Swiss Confederation

Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2008 to 2015. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) until 2008, she has since then been a member of the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD). Widmer-Schlumpf was the head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police from 2008 to 2010, when she became head of the Federal Department of Finance. She served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2012.

A by-election to the Swiss Federal Council was held in Switzerland on 16 September 2009, after incumbent Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin announced his intention to retire on 31 October 2009.

Karin Keller-Sutter Swiss politician

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 Justice and Police. Keller-Sutter previously served as President of the Council of States for the 2017–2018 term.

Johann Schneider-Ammann 96th President of the Swiss Confederation

Johann Niklaus Schneider-Ammann is a Swiss businessman and politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2010 to 2018. A member of FDP.The Liberals, he was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2016. Schneider-Ammann headed the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research during his tenure as a Federal Councillor.

Johannes Zollikofer

Johannes Zollikofer was a Swiss reformed vicar.

Hans Altherr Swiss politician

Hans Altherr is a Swiss politician. He is a member of FDP.The Liberals and served as President of the Council of States in 2011 and 2012.

References

  1. ↑ EFD, Eidgenössisches Finanzdepartement. "Frühere Departmentsvorsteher/innen". www.efd.admin.ch.
  2. ↑ "Demission von Bundesrat Hans-Rudolf Merz auf Oktober". www.admin.ch.
  3. ↑ news.search.ch. "Hoher Besuch im Pfadfinder-Bundeslager" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  4. ↑ SF Tagesschau. ""VIP-Tag" im Pfadi-Bundeslager- Lagerleitung empfängt Bundesrat Merz" (in German). Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  5. ↑ news.search.ch. "Cabinet announces reorganisation" . Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  6. ↑ "10.5354. Fragestunde: Frage Grin Jean-Pierre, Zunahme der Importmenge von gewürztem Fleisch". Official Bulletin of the Swiss Federal Assembly. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  7. ↑ "Swiss watch as minister cracks up". The Guardian . 24 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Merz klebt auf dem Bü.. Bü.. Bündnerfleisch". 20 Minuten. September 23, 2010.
Political offices
Preceded by
Kaspar Villiger 		Member of the Swiss Federal Council
2004–2010		Succeeded by
Johann Schneider-Ammann
Head of the Department of Finance
2004–2010		Succeeded by
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Preceded by
Pascal Couchepin 		Vice President of Switzerland
2008		Succeeded by
Doris Leuthard
President of Switzerland
2009
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.