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EXPLAINED: Who is Switzerland’s new President Ignazio Cassis?

Ignazio Cassis was elected Swiss President on Wednesday, marking the first time in 24 years someone from Italian-speaking Switzerland has the top job.

Published: 9 December 2021 11:34 CET
Incoming Swiss President Ignazio Cassis. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Swiss President Ignazio Cassis. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

On Wednesday, December 8th at noon, Ignazio Cassis was elected by Swiss parliament as the country’s new President. 

Cassis’ term will begin on January 1st. In his acceptance speech, he pledged Switzerland “would not allow itself to be divided” amid the Covid pandemic. 

Ignazio Cassis: Switzerland swears in new President

“The pandemic has not divided us – because we cannot be divided” Cassis said. “The virus will stay, but the crisis will come to an end.”

But wait, I don’t remember an election? 

The transfer of presidential power in Switzerland is not only peaceful, it takes place with relatively little fanfare, with only a small handover to indicate someone new is in the top job. 

While there usually is a ceremony in mid-December, this has been postponed due to the pandemic and will take place in 2022. 

The Presidential role is largely ceremonial, with members of the Federal Council elected to the position on an annual basis. 

Swiss Presidents are seen as “primus inter pares” (first among equals) among their six Federal Council colleagues and is technically not a ‘head of state’ as he or she might be in different countries. 

Generally, the member of the Federal Council who has not been President for the longest period of time will be elected to the position. 

READ MORE: A foreigner’s guide to understanding Swiss politics in five minutes

Health Minister Alain Berset was elected to the vice presidency on Wednesday, meaning he will likely take the top job in 2023. 

Who is Cassis then? 

Ignazio Cassis, a medical doctor by training, comes from the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. 

He’s only the fifth President from the region and is the first to take the top job in 24 years. 

He has been the Foreign Affairs Minister since he joined the Federal Council in 2017 and will retain the job while serving as president. 

READ MORE: Switzerland elects Guy Parmelin to Presidency 

What is he like? 

Cassis comes from the Liberal Party, which is conservative and pro-business party, but more socially progressive than the far-right Swiss People’s Party, which provided the outgoing President Guy Parmelin. 

Cassis has been criticised for gaffes in the past, although he is considered a consensus builder who is likely to be purposefully disruptive in office.  

How much does he earn? 

OK so now it’s getting juicy!

Switzerland being as expensive as it is, the President earns a high salary – and next year it is getting a little higher. 

The current presidential salary is 454,581 per year, which will go up by 1,000CHF per month in 2022. 

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POLITICS

Could Geneva be first Swiss canton to grant foreign residents more voting rights?

Voters in the country’s most "international" canton Geneva will soon have their say on whether non-Swiss citizens living in their midst should have more political rights.

Published: 29 April 2024 12:19 CEST
Could Geneva be first Swiss canton to grant foreign residents more voting rights?

Foreigners are not allowed to vote on national level anywhere in Switzerland.

Though there had been attempts in the past to change this rule, the latest such move was turned down by legislators in 2022.

However, five cantons are permitting foreign residents to cast their votes in local referendums and elections: Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, and Jura. Conditions vary from one canton to another, but in all cases a certain length of stay and a residence permit are required.

(In Zurich, a similar move was rejected in 2023).

Of the five cantons, only Neuchâtel and Jura authorise foreign residents to vote on cantonal level in addition to communal one; in the others, they can cast municipal ballots only. 

Additionally, three other cantons have similar laws on their books, but they this legislation remains mostly inactive.

Basel-City, Graubünden, and Appenzell-Ausserrhoden have authorised their communes to introduce the right to vote, the right to elect, and the right to be elected for their non-Swiss residents. 

However, only few of the communes in these cantons have actually introduced these measures.

Wait…Geneva’s foreigners already have the right to vote?

Yes, they have had this right since 2005, but only on municipal level.

However, this could change on June 9th, when Geneva residents will go to the polls to weigh in on an initiative launched by the trade unions and political left, calling for foreigners who have lived in the canton for at least eight years, to be able to vote and stand as candidates for political offices at the cantonal level.

This ‘upgrade’ to the cantonal voting rights is important, supporters argue, because it would enable foreigners to have more political impact.

“Municipal votes are quite rare, and the issues at stake are relatively limited,” the initiative committee said.

Therefore, “access to the cantonal vote will allow these same people to express their views on wider subjects that affect them on a daily basis.”

Is this  measure likely to be accepted?

No reliable forecasts exist at this point.

And while foreigners constitute nearly 40 percent of Geneva’s population — the highest proportion in Switzerland —  it will be up to Swiss citizens to decide on the outcome.

However, some members of the Geneva parliament are urging the ‘no’ vote on June 9th.

“No canton, no country, provides such generous rights to their foreigners,” the MPs from the centre parties pointed out in an interview with Tribune de Genève over the weekend.

(Neuchâtel and Jura allow voting, but not standing for election, at cantonal level).

“The only path for foreigners to obtain full political rights is through naturalisation,” the MPs added.

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