Doris Leuthard, Swiss president in 2010

Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Doris Leuthard becomes president of Switzerland in 2010. The 46-year-old PDC (Christian Democrat) member was elected comfortably (153 of 187 votes) by parliament for the top job, a one-year post that is rotated among the seven cabinet members, the Swiss Federal Council. She is the only member of the council not to have yet held the post. She was in line for the job, as vice-president in 2009, but nevertheless needed the approval of the Federal Assembly, parliament’s two houses. Leuthard becomes the youngest president since 1934.

Leuthard is the third woman to serve as president of Switzerland: Ruth Dreifuss was the first, in 1999 and Micheline Calmy-Rey the second, in 2007.

The first two were Socialists from French-speaking Switzerland, representing Geneva, but Leuthard is a central-right politician from the German-speaking part of the country and the significance of her election, with support from traditionally more conservative politicians, has been remarked on by Swiss media.

Moritz Leuenberger, a Socialist from Zurich, was elected vice-president, which puts him in line to be president in 2011.

The speakers of both houses will be women in 2010.

Social Democrat Pascale Bruderer, 32 years old, will lead parliament’s lower house, the youngest person to be Speaker of the National Assembly. Free Democrat Erika Forster-Vannini was elected Speaker of the Council of States, the upper house.

Links to other sites: Le Temps (Fre), NZZ (Ger), TSR (Fre) and Swiss Parliament, Fre

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