Berset, head of the Department of the Interior and also the country’s Health Minister, will quit his post at the end of the year, when his term as president comes to an end.

Two MPs have stepped forward to take his place on the Federal Council: Jon Pult, 39, from canton Graubünden, and Beat Jans, 59, from Basel-City.

If Pult is elected, he would become the only dual citizen to sit on the Federal Council, as he has both Swiss and Italian nationalities.

The Federal Council  consists of seven members, each heading a specific Ministry and representing different political parties, so that the balance of power reflects that of the parliament.

As Berset is from the Social Democratic party, the two candidates are also from the same party as well.

How is the election held?

Unlike in other countries, the government, or Federal Council to be more precise, is not elected directly by the people. Swiss voters elect members of the parliament — the Federal Assembly — who are then responsible for electing the Federal Council from among the candidates who are running for the seven seats.

The MPs from both chambers of the Federal Assembly — the 200-seat National Council and the 46-seat Council of States — elect the cabinet jointly. Votes are cast by secret ballot in several rounds, until someone receives the absolute majority of votes.

What exactly does the Federal Council do anyway?

It has multiple tasks.

According to the Council’s website, “the most important task of the Federal Council is to govern. It continually assesses the current situation, determines the objectives of state governance and the means of achieving them, oversees their implementation and represents the Swiss Confederation both at home and abroad. The Federal Council deals with about 2,500 items of business a year. These mainly involve items of information and draft legislation presented to parliament.”