There’s a vacancy in the Federal Council after the defence minister Viola Amherd announced she’s resigning.
The 62-year-old has been part of the government since 2019.
There’d been speculation that Amherd would step down for some time.
It makes her six-year term shorter than average – it’s common to stay a member of government for more than 10 years.
She’ll remain in her post until her successor is selected.
That’s done by parliament who will be voting on nominations in the spring session which starts in March.