The foreign minister Ignazio Cassis will be president next year.
The federal councillor was elected by parliament by 156 votes.
Switzerland’s president changes every year and rotates through the Federal Council. The president doesn’t have extra powers and will keep a ministerial portfolio.
The current health minister, Alain Berset, was elected Vice-president.
Cassis is the first president from the Italian speaking canton of Ticino since Flavio Cotti in 1998.
He’ll formally take over from January 1st. Tradition says the main language of government meetings is of the mother tongue of the president, so that will now switch to Italian.
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