Walter Thurnherr
Official portrait, 2023
16th Chancellor of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2016 – 31 December 2023
PresidentJohann Schneider-Ammann
Doris Leuthard
Alain Berset
Ueli Maurer
Simonetta Sommaruga
Guy Parmelin
Ignazio Cassis
Alain Berset
Vice-ChancellorJörg De Bernardi
Viktor Rossi
André Simonazzi
Preceded byCorina Casanova
Succeeded byViktor Rossi
Personal details
Born (1963-07-11) 11 July 1963
Muri, Aargau, Switzerland
Political partyChristian Democratic People's Party (before 2021)
The Centre (2021–present)
Children2
Alma materETH Zurich
University of Bern

Walter Thurnherr (born 11 July 1963) is a Swiss government official who served as Chancellor of Switzerland from 2016 to 2023.[1] Although he holds a traditionally nonpartisan office, he was elected as a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC). When it merged with the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD) to form The Centre (DM/LC) in 2021, Thurnherr joined the new party.

On 16 August 2023 he announced that he would leave his position before the end of 2023.[2]

Biography

Early life

Born in Muri, Aargau, Thurnherr graduated as a physicist at the ETH Zurich in 1987, before studying mathematics at the University of Bern. In 1989, he joined the ranks of Switzerland's diplomatic corps. In 2002, he was appointed chief of staff of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs under Federal Councillor Joseph Deiss. The following year, he was named chief of staff of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, first under Pascal Couchepin, then Deiss and finally Doris Leuthard. He followed Leuthard when she took over the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications in 2011 as her chief of staff.[3]

Federal Chancellor

He stood for election to succeed Corina Casanova as Chancellor of Switzerland on 9 December 2015, as the first unopposed candidate in 90 years. He was elected by the Swiss Federal Assembly with 230 votes out of 234.[4][5] He assumed office on 1 January 2016. He was reelected on 11 December 2019 with 219 votes out of 224.

In a 2023 interview, Thurnherr called for Switzerland to become more involved in international matters.[6]

Personal life

Thurnherr is active on Twitter as of 2023, where he often shares his passion for physics and mathematics. He speaks English, German, French, and learned Russian as a diplomat working in Moscow. He married and has two children. In his free time he enjoys hiking and reading.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr". Federal Chancellery. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  2. ↑ Fontana, Katharina (16 August 2023). "Walter Thurnherr tritt als Bundeskanzler zurück". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  3. ↑ Wutrich, Bernard (16 December 2016). "Walter Thurnherr, un médiateur au service du Conseil fédéral". Le Temps.ch. Le Temps SA. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ↑ ATS/NXP (9 December 2015). "Walter Thurnherr élu chancelier de la Confédération". 24 Heures. ATS. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Amrein, Marcel (14 December 2015). "Walter Thurnherr, der logische Kanzler". Neue Zurcher Zeitung. Zurich. NZZ Mediengruppe. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Switzerland can't remain an observer, warns Federal Chancellor". Swissinfo. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  7. ↑ ""No, I don't want to be a Federal Councilor." Walter Thurnherr, 55, Federal Chancellor of Switzerland". Anna Maier. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
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