At a vote on December 11, Karin Keller-Sutter was elected as the President of Switzerland for 2025, the first time she has held the top job. Here’s what you need to know about the FDP politician from St. Gallen and what the impact of her election will be.
By 168 votes out of 232, a joint session of the parliament elected Karin Keller-Sutter as the next President of Switzerland. She will assume the position from January 1, 2025. Guy Parmelin, Swiss People’s Party Federal Councillor from Vaud, was elected vice president of the Swiss Confederation.
In her acceptance speech, Keller-Sutter promised a "return to normality" amid "uncertain times" characterised by global instability and climate change. Regarding her approach to the role, she promised to work together with other Federal Councillors to achieve compromises on major issues.
The title of President of Switzerland rotates yearly between the seven members of the Federal Council. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the position has been given to whoever has served on the council for the longest without being elected president, with the title of vice president given to whoever will take the top job the following year. As a consequence, the vote to elect the president is usually a ceremonial affair.
Founded in 1848, the role of Swiss president is seen as being the first of equals among the Federal Council - the body which serves as the official head of state. Beyond having the deciding vote in Federal Council discussions, the role is not imbued with the same executive power as presidents in other parts of the world.
However, as the president will also be head of a department of government, the role gives them an opportunity to push their department’s goals. During the tenure of Defence Minister Viola Amherd (Centre) in 2024, for example, the topic of military funding remained front and centre of the political debate. She also headed a major peace conference on Ukraine in June.
Born in Uzwil, Canton St. Gallen in 1963, Karin Keller-Sutter grew up in Wil and Neuchâtel before studying languages at the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich. After a post-graduate degree in Pedagogy in Fribourg, she worked as a teacher before entering politics.
Her first political role came in 1992, when she was elected as a Free Democratic Party municipal councillor for Wil. She went on to be a deputy of the cantonal parliament in St. Gallen, before moving to the executive of the canton in 2000. She joined federal politics in 2011, when she was elected as an FDP. The Liberals State Councillor for St. Gallen. She became a Federal councillor in 2018 and has headed the Department of Finance since 2023.
So what can we expect from the 101st person to assume the role of President of Switzerland? For those outside the alpine nation, Keller-Sutter is probably best known for her role in the Credit Suisse crisis of 2023. Her swift action in providing financial backing to the merger of the Swiss bank with UBS is seen as instrumental in preventing a wider financial crisis, and earned her a position as one of the most influential women of 2023, according to the Financial Times.
In 2024, her political fortunes tilted, having announced a series of widespread austerity measures in a bid to balance the federal books. These cuts, which would provide increased funding to the military at the expense of childcare services, international aid and transport, have been poorly received by the wider public.
Discussions regarding these cuts are expected to take front and centre of her tenure in 2025. At the same time, Keller-Sutter faces low inflation, good economic growth and a housing crisis at home, and growing political uncertainty overseas.
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