Guy Parmelin
Guy Parmelin has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2016 and served as President of the Confederation in 2021. Born in Bursins in the canton of Vaud in 1959, he trained as an agronomist and worked as a farmer and winemaker, running the family vineyard — a background unusual among European ministers and typical of the Swiss political tradition of part-time service. He was an officer in the Swiss army, reaching the rank of colonel. He entered the Vaud cantonal parliament in 1994 and the National Council in 2003 for the Swiss People's Party, the largest party in the country and the one most associated with opposition to European integration and to immigration. He was elected to the Federal Council in December 2015 and took the defence portfolio, where he handled the acquisition of new fighter aircraft after an earlier purchase had been rejected in a referendum. In 2019 he moved to economic affairs, education and research. That portfolio placed him at the centre of two difficult files. The pandemic response required repeated negotiation between public health closures and support for businesses, in a federal system where the cantons hold substantial authority. And the long attempt to settle Switzerland's relationship with the European Union through a framework agreement collapsed in 2021, during his presidential year, leaving the bilateral treaties to erode. The Swiss presidency rotates annually among the seven councillors and carries no additional power; the head of state is the council collectively. He has also handled trade negotiations, including with the United States over tariffs, and led talks on agreements with India and with China.
- Lived: 1959 CE – ?
- Nationality: Swiss
- Roles: President of the Swiss Confederation (2021, 2026)
