Guy Parmelin (original) (raw)

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Swiss Federal Councillor since 2016

Guy Parmelin
Official portrait, 2024
President of Switzerland
In office1 January 2021 – 31 December 2021
Vice President	Ignazio Cassis
Preceded by	Simonetta Sommaruga
Succeeded by	Ignazio Cassis
Vice President of Switzerland
In office1 January 2020 – 31 December 2020
President	Simonetta Sommaruga
Preceded by	Simonetta Sommaruga
Succeeded by	Ignazio Cassis
Member of the Swiss Federal Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2016
Department	Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (2016–2018) Economic Affairs, Education and Research (2018–)
Preceded by	Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Member of the Swiss National Council
In office1 December 2003 – 31 December 2015
Constituency	Vaud
Personal details
Born	Guy Bernard Parmelin (1959-11-09) 9 November 1959 (age 65)Bursins, Vaud, Switzerland
Political party	Swiss People's Party
Spouse	Caroline Merotto ​(m. 1995)​

Guy Bernard Parmelin (French pronunciation: [ɡi bɛʁnaʁ paʁməlɛ̃]; born 9 November 1959) is a Swiss Federal Councillor and head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), he has been a member of the Federal Council since 2016, and has led the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research since 2019. He previously led the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports between 2016 and 2018. He served as president of Switzerland in 2021, having previously served as vice president of Switzerland in 2020.[1]

Early life and education

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Parmelin was born 9 November 1959 in Bursins, the oldest of three children, to Richard Parmelin, a farmer and winegrower, and Jeannine Parmelin (née Favre). He has a brother and a sister. He completed his Matura in 1977 and then completed a diploma in agriculture at the Cantonal Agricultural College Marcelin in Morges. In 1985, he completed a master's degree in viticulture.[2]

Early political career

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A master wine grower by trade, he was elected to the Grand Council of Vaud from 1994 until 2003, when he was elected to the National Council for the canton of Vaud.[1] From 2000 to 2004, Parmelin was also president of the Swiss People's Party of the canton of Vaud. On 9 December 2015, he was elected by the Federal Assembly to the Federal Council in replacement of Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf.[3][4]

Member of the Federal Council

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After the Swiss People's Party won a record vote of over 29% in the 2015 general election, Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf announced she would not run for reelection.[5][6] She had been expelled from the SVP/UDC shortly after her election in 2007, whereupon she founded the splinter Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD). The SVP/UDC was expected to take Widmer-Schlumpf's seat; it put forward three candidates, including Parmelin, who was ultimately elected.[7]

2021 Swiss Federal Council

Parmelin became the first SVP/UDC Federal Councillor from the French-speaking part of Switzerland.[7][8] He was selected to become head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, replacing fellow party member Ueli Maurer, who became head of the Federal Department of Finance.[9] Starting in 2019, Parmelin became the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. He served as Vice President of Switzerland in 2020. He assumed the presidency on 1 January 2021 alongside Vice President Ignazio Cassis.[10][11][12][13]

On 16 June 2021, as President of Switzerland, Parmelin hosted the 2021 Russia–United States summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. He wished them "a fruitful dialogue, in the interests of [their] two countries, and the world".[14]

In 1995, Parmelin married Caroline Merotto, a daughter of Aldo Merotto, an engineer of Italian origin, and Maria (née Moosrainer). They have no children.[15]

1. ^ a b (in French) Biography of Guy Parmelin on the website of the Swiss Parliament. (Page visited on 9 December 2015).
2. ^ HLS/DSS, Parmelin, Guy (1959-)https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/059656/2022-03-15/
3. ^ (in French) Bernard Wuthrich, "Conseil fédéral: comment un Romand s’est retrouvé élu" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Le Temps, Wednesday 9 December 2015 (page visited on 9 December 2015).
4. ^ (in French) Yves Petignat, "Le choix de Parmelin, un désaveu pour la direction de l'UDC" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Le Temps, Wednesday 9 December 2015 (page visited on 9 December 2015).
5. ^ Jaberg, Samuel; Stephens, Thomas (28 October 2015). "Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf to Stand Down". Swissinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
6. ^ Geiser, Urs (19 October 2015). "Parliament Shifts to the Right". Swissinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
7. ^ a b Mombelli, Armando (10 December 2015). "People's Party Gains Second Seat in Cabinet". Swissinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
8. ^ Bradley, Simon (10 December 2015). "Wary Press Split Over Farmer Parmelin". Swissinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
9. ^ "People's Party finally nails finance minister job". Swissinfo. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
10. ^ "Swiss president: 'We must not give up'". SWI swissinfo.ch. January 2021.
11. ^ "Switzerland elects new president from 2021" (PDF). www.thelocal.ch. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
12. ^ MILLARD, Robin. "Parmelin Confirmed As Next Swiss President". www.barrons.com.
13. ^ "Guy Parmelin, le président équilibriste". Le Temps (in French). 14 January 2021 – via www.letemps.ch.
14. ^ "Swiss President Parmelin welcomes Biden and Putin". Swiss Info. 16 June 2021 – via www.swissinfo.ch.
15. ^ Ref 2

• Profile of Guy Parmelin with election results on the website of the Swiss Federal Council.
• Biography of Guy Parmelin on the website of the Swiss Parliament.