Chancellor of Switzerland

The federal chancellor is the head of the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland, the oldest Swiss federal institution, established at the initiative of Napoleon in 1803. The officeholder acts as the general staff of the seven-member Federal Council. The Chancellor is not a member of the government and the office is not at all comparable to that of the Chancellor of Germany or the Chancellor of Austria, or to the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The current Chancellor, Viktor Rossi, a member of the Green Liberal Party from Bern, was elected on 13 December 2023. He began his term on 1 January 2024.

Election
The Federal Chancellor is elected for a four-year term by both chambers of the Federal Assembly, assembled together, at the same time (and by the same process) as it elects the Federal Council. The election is conducted by secret ballot using an exhaustive ballot in which each member of the Assembly can vote for any eligible person in the first two rounds, but only remaining candidates in subsequent rounds. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, the candidate(s) with the fewest votes is eliminated.

Vice-Chancellors
One or two Vice-Chancellors are also appointed. In contrast to the Chancellor, they are appointed directly by the Federal Council. Prior to 1852, the position was called the State Secretary of the Confederation. Currently, Jörg De Bernardi acts as the Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Federal Council's agenda, reprising his role ad interim after the election of Viktor Rossi to the post of Chancellor. In May 2024, following the sudden passing of Vice-Chancellor André Simonazzi, the Federal Council has appointed Ursula Eggenberger ad interim while searching for a permanent successor, whereas in July, Rachel Salzmann will succeed De Bernardi as Vice-Chancellor.

Role
The position is a political appointment and has only a technocratic role.

The Chancellor attends meetings of the Federal Council but does not have a vote. The Chancellor also prepares the Federal Council's reports to the Federal Assembly on its policy and activities. Still, the Chancellor's position is often referred to as that of an "eighth Federal Councillor". The chancellery is also responsible for the publication of all federal laws.