Overview
The Federal Chancellor of Switzerland is the head of the Federal Chancellery and serves as the principal staff officer to the seven-member Federal Council. The office coordinates the work of the federal administration and assists the collective head of state and government by preparing meetings, ensuring follow-up on decisions and managing official records. The office is officially named in each national language: German: Bundeskanzler(in), French: Chancelier(-ière) fédéral(e), Italian: Cancelliere(-a) della Confederazione and Romansh: Chancelier(a) federal(a).
Duties and functions
The chancellor acts as the general staff of the Federal Council rather than as a voting member of government. Typical responsibilities include:
- Preparing agendas and documentation for Federal Council meetings and recording their decisions.
- Coordinating interdepartmental work and advising on administrative procedure and legal form.
- Overseeing publication of official texts, including the Federal Gazette and related communications.
- Managing the Federal Chancellery, which provides specialist services such as translations, legal advice and information policy.
Election, term and status
The Federal Chancellor is elected by the Federal Assembly for a four-year term and may be re-elected. The position is an independent federal office and is distinct from membership of the Federal Council: the chancellor attends meetings to support the council but does not participate in votes. The Federal Chancellery itself functions as the administrative and coordinating secretariat of the executive.
Importance, role in practice and notable points
Although not a political decision-maker in the same sense as Federal Councillors, the chancellor plays a central role in ensuring the continuity, legality and transparency of federal action. The chancellery runs important public services, including official publications and central records, and acts as a permanent institutional memory for the collective government. For further institutional details see the Federal Chancellery page: Federal Chancellery.
One recent occupant of the office was Walter Thurnherr, who took up the position on 1 January 2016. The office and its functions have evolved over time to reflect Switzerland's multilingual federal administration and the need for coordination among departments.