Federal Councillor and current president Alain Berset says he will be resigning at the end of the year. The decision has surprised many as only recently he said he would like to continue after October’s federal elections.
He told the press the time is right to leave government. Berset was elected to the government in 2011 at the age of 39 – making him one of the youngest ministers in the country’s history.
His term can be described as noteworthy. He was blackmailed by a woman who threatened to release intimate pictures unless she was paid CHF 100,000.
She was prosecuted instead.
Also, Berset caused a diplomatic stir when he flew a light aircraft into France two years ago and encroached military airspace and was forced to land by the French Air Force.
During covid he was health minister and was criticised for lockdowns and allegations of leaking vaccine information to the press before official announcements.