Hans-Rudolf Merz

Hans-Rudolf Merz

Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 January 2004
Preceded by Kaspar Villiger
President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2009 – 31 December 2009
Vice President Doris Leuthard
Preceded by Pascal Couchepin
Succeeded by Doris Leuthard
Vice President of Switzerland
In office
1 January 2008 – 31 December 2008
President Pascal Couchepin
Preceded by Pascal Couchepin
Succeeded by Doris Leuthard
Head of the Federal Department of Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 January 2004
Preceded by Kaspar Villiger
Born 10 November 1942 (1942-11-10) (age 68)
Herisau, Switzerland
Political party FDP.The Liberals
Alma mater University of St. Gallen

Hans-Rudolf Merz (born 10 November 1942) is a Swiss politician of FDP.The Liberals and member of the Swiss Federal Council (since 2004). He is the head of the Federal Department of Finance (the Swiss finance minister) and President of the Swiss Confederation for 2009. On 6 August 2010 Merz announced his resignation for October 2010.[1]

Born in Herisau, Switzerland, he studied at Hochschule St. Gallen and graduated in 1971 with a DEA's degree and as Dr. rer. publ.

Contents

Background

Merz was a Scout, and visited the National Jamboree of Switzerland in July 2008.[2][3] From 1969 to 1974, he was party secretary of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) in St. Gallen. Since 1977 he worked as a management consultant.

In 1997, he was elected to the Swiss Council of States for the canton of Appenzell Outer Rhodes. He presided the finance committee and was a member of the foreign policy committee.

Merz was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 10 December 2003. At the time, he was on the board of directors of the Helvetia-Patria insurance company and Anova Holding. He was also member of the board of trustees of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation.

On 20 September 2008, whilst in Eastern Switzerland, Merz was rushed to hospital, having suffered from a heart attack. He was soon flown to Bern University Hospital, where he had a multiple bypass operation. He was also placed into an artificial coma. This lead to a reorganisation of the cabinet and the absence of the Swiss President, Pascal Couchepin from the UN General Assembly in New York. [4]

On 10 December 2008, as the member of the Federal Council that hasn't been its president for the longest time, Merz was elected President of the Confederation for 2009. In parliament, the 66-year-old received 185 out of 209 valid votes. He succeeded Free Democratic Party colleague Pascal Couchepin. Doris Leuthard was elected vice-president.

He is married and father of three sons.

Works

References

  1. ↑ http://www.news.admin.ch/message/index.html?lang=de&msg-id=34515
  2. ↑ news.search.ch. "Hoher Besuch im Pfadfinder-Bundeslager" (in German). http://news.search.ch/inland/2008-07-25/hoher-besuch-im-pfadfinder-bundeslager. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  3. ↑ SF Tagesschau. "«VIP-Tag» im Pfadi-Bundeslager- Lagerleitung empfängt Bundesrat Merz" (in German). http://tagesschau.sf.tv/nachrichten/archiv/2008/07/25/schweiz/vip_tag_im_pfadi_bundeslager. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  4. ↑ news.search.ch. "Cabinet announces reorganisation" (in English). http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Cabinet_announces_reorganisation.html?siteSect=108&sid=9758381&cKey=1222179725000&ty=st. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Kaspar Villiger		 Member of the Swiss Federal Council
2004–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Pascal Couchepin		 President of Switzerland
2009		 Succeeded by
Doris Leuthard
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