Simonetta Sommaruga

Simonetta Myriam Sommaruga (born 14 May 1960)[1] is a Swiss politician serving as President of the Swiss Confederation for 2020. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), she has been a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2010.

Simonetta Sommaruga
President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2020  31 December 2020
Vice PresidentGuy Parmelin
Preceded byUeli Maurer
Succeeded byGuy Parmelin
In office
1 January 2015  31 December 2015
Vice PresidentJohann Schneider-Ammann
Preceded byDidier Burkhalter
Succeeded byJohann Schneider-Ammann
Vice President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2019  31 December 2019
PresidentUeli Maurer
Preceded byUeli Maurer
Succeeded byGuy Parmelin
In office
2 January 2014  30 December 2014
PresidentDidier Burkhalter
Preceded byDidier Burkhalter
Succeeded byJohann Schneider-Ammann
Head of the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
Assumed office
1 January 2019
Preceded byDoris Leuthard
Head of the Department of Justice and Police
In office
1 November 2010  31 December 2018
Preceded byEveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Succeeded byKarin Keller-Sutter
Member of the Swiss Federal Council
Assumed office
1 November 2010
Preceded byMoritz Leuenberger
Personal details
Born
Simonetta Myriam Sommaruga

(1960-05-14) 14 May 1960
Zug, Switzerland
Political partySocial Democratic Party
Spouse(s)Lukas Hartmann
EducationLucerne University

Sommaruga has served as head of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications since 2019 and previously was head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police.[2] She served as Vice President of Switzerland for the years 2014 and 2019; in 2015 Sommaruga assumed the role of President of the Swiss Confederation. Subsequently, she returned to the position in 2020.

Biography

Early life

Born in Zug,[3] Sommaruga grew up with two brothers and a sister in Sins, Aargau. She attended the gymnasium at Immensee, Schwyz and trained as a pianist at the Lucerne School of Music of Lucerne University. From 1988 to 1991, she attended English and Romance studies at the University of Fribourg, but did not graduate.[4]

Professional career

Sommaruga held the directorship of the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation (Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz) from 1993 to 1999, which earned her public recognition in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. She has held the presidency of that foundation since 1999 and that of the aid organisation Swissaid since 2003. She is also patron of SAFFA 2020, alongside then-federal councillors Doris Leuthard and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, as well as former federal councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey.[5]

Political career

Sommaruga with United States President Donald Trump in Davos, 2020

Sommaruga's political career began as a member of the Grand Council of Bern from 1981 to 1990. She served in the municipal government of Köniz from 1997 to 2005.[6] In 1999, she was elected to the National Council; in 2003 she became a member of the Federal Assembly's upper chamber, the Council of States, representing the canton of Bern.[6]

On 11 August 2010, she announced her candidacy to succeed Moritz Leuenberger in the 2010 Federal Council election.[7] She was elected on 22 September 2010.[6]

She was elected as Vice President of the Federal Council for 2014 alongside President Didier Burkhalter. On 3 December 2014, she was elected as President of the Swiss Confederation for 2015, with Johann Schneider-Ammann as Vice President of the Federal Council. She served until 31 December 2015, when Schneider-Ammann succeeded her. Sommaruga became President of the Federal Council again in 2020.[8]

Personal life

Sommaruga is married to the writer Lukas Hartmann and lives in Spiegel near Bern.[1] She is a distant relative of Cornelio Sommaruga and fellow politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, Carlo Sommaruga.

Publications

  • Für eine moderne Schweiz. Ein praktischer Reformplan, with Rudolf Strahm, Nagel & Kimche, Munich, 2005, ISBN 3-312-00356-3
  • "Gurtenmanifest für eine neue und fortschrittliche SP-Politik" (PDF). (235 KB), 10 May 2001

References

  1. Biography of Simonetta Sommaruga on the website of the Swiss Parliament.
  2. "Leuthard au DETEC, Widmer-Schlumpf aux finances". TSR Télévision Suisse Romande. SRG SSR. 27 September 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  3. Eidgenössisches Justiz- und Polizeidepartement. Bundesrätin Simonetta Sommaruga (retrieved 10 June 2017).
  4. The federal council - curriculum vitae of Simonetta Sommaaruga
  5. "Patronat" (in German). 2020.ch. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  6. UVEK, Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation. "Lebenslauf". uvek.admin.ch (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  7. "Radio Télévision Suisse". rts.ch. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  8. "Socialist Sommaruga Takes Over Swiss Presidency". Voice of America (from Agence France-Presse). 1 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.

Media related to Simonetta Sommaruga at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by
Moritz Leuenberger
Member of the Swiss Federal Council
2010–present
Incumbent
Preceded by
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
Head of the Department of Justice and Police
2010–2018
Succeeded by
Karin Keller-Sutter
Preceded by
Didier Burkhalter
Vice President of Switzerland
2014
Succeeded by
Johann Schneider-Ammann
President of Switzerland
2015
Preceded by
Ueli Maurer
Vice President of Switzerland
2019
Succeeded by
Guy Parmelin
Preceded by
Doris Leuthard
Head of the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
2019–present
Incumbent
Preceded by
Ueli Maurer
President of Switzerland
2020
Succeeded by
Guy Parmelin
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