# The Federal Council: Members of the Federal Government A thematic map of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. The map is drawn in the browser; this file describes it and lists its variants and links, but not the data values shown on the map. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/the-federal-council-members-of-the-federal-government/ - Short title: Federal Council - Map id: 721 - Categories: State and Politics › Executive - Keywords: Politics, State - Published: 2019-12-04 - Last revised: 2026-06-03 - Content language: English - Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/der-bundesrat-mitglieder-der-landesregierung.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/le-conseil-federal-membres-du-gouvernement-federal.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/il-consiglio-federale-membri-del-governo-federale.md) ## Description ### A collegiate group of seven Federal Councillors: State government and heads of department The Swiss system of government has hardly changed since 1848; the principles of collegiality and of primus inter pares apply to this day. Federal councillors have a dual function. They are members of the government and therefore jointly responsible for governing. But they also head a department and represent its interests in the governing college, the Federal Council. The number of federal councillors and departments has always remained the same. What has changed over the years are the significance and responsibilities of the departments. The federal councillors are elected to the Federal Council and not as the heads of specific departments. The federal councillors decide among themselves who is to be allocated which department after they have been elected. ### Term of office and resignation On average, federal councillors serve for 10 years. The longest serving federal councillor was Carl Schenk, who spent 32 years in office in the 19th century. Another long-serving member was Guiseppe Motta, who served for 28 years, through both World Wars. In the more recent past, the 15 years spent in office by Kurt Furgler, Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, Kaspar Villiger and Moritz Leuenberger are worthy of mention. There is no limit on the term of office and no procedure for a vote of no confidence. Serving federal councillors normally make their own decision on when to stand down. Now and then, however, their hand is forced by their party or by parliament. It is very rare for serving federal councillors who stand again for office not to be re-elected. Since 1848, this has happened four times. (Ulrich Ochsenbein 1854, Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel 1872, Ruth Metzler 2003, Christoph Blocher 2007). ### Parties in the Federal Council since 1848 The Radicals were the clear winners in the first ever elections to parliament. They won the first elections to the Federal Council as well. But Switzerland experienced a gradual conversion to consociational democracy, binding the various political forces into the government. In 1891, a member of the Catholic Conservatives was elected to the government for the first time, followed by a second member in 1919. From 1917-1919, a Liberal held a seat in the Federal Council. In 1929, the Federal Assembly elected a member of the Farmers, Traders and Independents Party (now the Swiss People's Party, SVP) to the Federal Council. During World War II, in 1943, Social Democrats also joined the government. In 1959, the four parties (FDP, CVP, SP and SVP) agreed to form a government with two Radicals, two Christian Democrats, two Social Democrats and one member of the People's Party (an arrangement known as the ‘magic formula’ 2:2:2:1). This ratio remained unchanged for 44 years. In 2003, the SVP gained a further seat at the expense of the CVP. Since then, the formula has been: 2 SP, 2 FDP, 2 SVP, 1 Die Mitte (new party resulting from the merger of the BDP and CVP). ## Sources - The Federal Council (2023): [History of the Federal Council](https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/bundesrat/geschichte-des-bundesrats.html) ## Data sources - Atlas of Switzerland: [Administrative Einheiten 1:500.000 (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/) - Der Bundesrat (2024): [Alle Bundesrätinnen und Bundesräte](https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/bundesrat/geschichte-des-bundesrats/bundesraete-und-ihre-wahl/alle-bundesraete-liste.html) - swisstopo (2010): [Gemeindegrenzen GC25](https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/home.html) - swisstopo [J160089] (2010): [Landeskarte 1:500.000](https://shop.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/products/maps/national/lk500) - The Federal Council (2023): [History of the Federal Council](https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/bundesrat/geschichte-des-bundesrats.html) ## Data owners - [Atlas of Switzerland (AoS)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/) - [Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO)](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/) - [The Federal Council (Federal Council)](https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/bundesrat.html) - [Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo)](http://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/) ## Citation The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as: > Atlas of Switzerland (2026): The Federal Council: Members of the Federal Government. ETH Zürich. Map data © AoS, FSO, Federal Council, swisstopo. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/the-federal-council-members-of-the-federal-government/ ## Variants The map has 11 variants. Levels: variant → time. The `u` value of a variant selects it in the links below. - according to parties - 2025: `u=A-4AAADK` (default) - according to years of office - 2025: `u=A-4AAADL` - according to year of taking up office - since 1848: `u=Ay0AAADM` - 1848–1874: `u=AyUAAADM` - 1875–1899: `u=AyYAAADM` - 1900–1924: `u=AycAAADM` - 1925–1949: `u=AygAAADM` - 1950–1974: `u=AykAAADM` - 1975–1999: `u=AyoAAADM` - 2000-2024: `u=BBcAAADM` - 2025-2049: `u=BBgAAADM` ## Links Replace `{u}` with the `u` value of a variant above, or leave out `u={u}` for the default variant. The map opens at its full extent; a link cannot set the map position. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/the-federal-council-members-of-the-federal-government/?u={u} - Short link, stays valid when the title changes: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/t/721/?u={u} - Side by side with another map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/comparison/?lt=721&lu={u}&rt={id of the other map}&ru={u of the other map, or leave out} Embed in another website (allowed by the terms of use, as long as the source references stay visible): ```html ``` In the embed URL, `dm` sets what is shown: `e` the map with its title bar (default), `p` also the values of an object clicked on the map, `m` only the map with a button that opens it in the atlas. `ig=1` (default) lets the map react to scrolling and dragging only after a click into it, `ig=0` right away. The size can be changed in `style`. ## Related maps - [Party strength of the most dominant party](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/party-strength-of-the-most-dominant-party.md) (id 682) For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).