Swiss president announces resignation at the end of the year after more than a decade in government

Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced on Friday that he will leave the government at the end of the year, in a surprise move after more than a decade of ministerial service.

Switzerland’s presidency rotates each year among the seven members of the government, called the Federal Council, of whom Parmelin was the longest-serving minister.

Parmelin told a press conference in Bern that he had informed his ministerial colleagues of his decision to resign on December 31.

“By then, 11 years will have passed 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 he felt “a certain fatigue”, while insisting he was not stepping down for medical reasons.

Trump shook Switzerland in August 2025 when he announced tariffs of 39% on imports of Swiss goods, among the highest in his global tariff campaign.

Eventually, Switzerland and the United States announced a statement of intent to lower the tariffs to 15%, with the Swiss pledging to invest 200 billion dollars in the United States.

Parmelin, a winemaker by profession, is from the western, French-speaking canton of Vaud. He is from the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which is the largest in the country.

Parmelin was previously president in 2021 and took centre stage as Switzerland hosted a summit in Geneva between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden.

The President of the Swiss Confederation is first among equals in the Federal Council, chairs its meetings and usually represents the country on important domestic and international matters.

Parmelin joined the Federal Council in 2016 as defence minister and has held the economy portfolio since 2019.

The seven seats in the Federal Council are divided 2-2-2-1 among the four main political parties under a tacit decades-old arrangement known as the “magic formula”.

Parmelin’s successor will come from the SVP. Candidates have until October 23 to submit their candidacies, and parliament will elect on December 9.