BERN: Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced on Friday that he will step down from the government at the end of the year, ending more than a decade of ministerial service in a surprise move, reported by Euro News.
Parmelin told a press conference in Bern that he had informed colleagues of his decision to leave on 31 December. “By then, it will have been 11 years since I was elected to this role, and the time has come for me to make way for new energy in these times of great uncertainty,” he said, admitting to feeling “a certain weariness” while insisting he was not stepping down for medical reasons.
A winegrower by trade, Parmelin is from the French-speaking canton of Vaud and belongs to the hard-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the country’s largest political force. He joined the Federal Council in 2016 as defence minister and has served as economy minister since 2019.
As economy minister, Parmelin made three trips to Washington in a bid to reduce tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, who shocked Switzerland in August 2025 with 39% duties on Swiss goods. Eventually, both nations agreed to cut tariffs to 15%, with Switzerland pledging to invest $200 billion in the United States.
Parmelin previously served as president in 2021, when Switzerland hosted a Geneva summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden. Switzerland’s presidency rotates annually among the seven Federal Council members, with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis set to become president in 2027.
Parmelin’s successor will come from the SVP. Candidates have until 23 October to declare, with parliament choosing on 9 December. The Federal Council’s seven seats are shared among four main parties under a decades-old power-sharing agreement known as the magic formula.
