Alain Berset swears in as president of Switzerland

Swiss Interior Minister Alain Berset, who represents the Social Democratic Party in the government, took office on January 1 as president of the country.

He will perform presidential powers during 2023 simultaneously with his ministerial duties, according to TASS.

The presidential elections were held at a joint meeting of the two houses of parliament on December 7, 2022. Berset will serve as president instead of Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.

This change will not affect Switzerland’s foreign and domestic policy, as the Federal Council (government) decides all the most important issues collectively.

Berset was born in the canton of Fribourg in western Switzerland on April 9, 1972. He has a PhD in Economics.

He has been working in the government since 2012, heading the Federal Department of Home Affairs, which is responsible for social security, health care and culture.

Berset already served as president in 2018, and the new election to this post was the second one in his political biography.