Albert Rösti

Albert Rösti
Official portrait, 2024
Swiss Federal Councillor
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 January 2023
DepartmentEnvironment, Transport, Energy and Communications (2023–present)
Preceded byUeli Maurer
President of the Swiss People's Party
In office
23 April 2016 – 22 August 2020
Preceded byToni Brunner
Succeeded byMarco Chiesa
Member of the National Council
In office
5 December 2011 – 31 December 2022
ConstituencyBern
Personal details
Born
Albert Rösti

(1967-08-07) 7 August 1967 (age 57)
Frutigen, Switzerland
Political partySwiss People's Party
Spouse
Theres Neuenschwander
​
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2
ResidenceUetendorf, Switzerland
Alma materETH Zurich
University of Rochester
OccupationBusinessman, lobbyist and politician
Signature
WebsiteParliament website

Albert Rösti (German pronunciation: [ˈalbɛʁt ˈrøːsti]; born 7 August 1967) is a Swiss businessman, lobbyist and politician who has been a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1 January 2023. He previously presided over the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) from 2016 to 2020 and served as a member of the National Council for the canton of Bern from 2011 until 2022. Rösti resides in Uetendorf near Thun.

Early life and education

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Rösti was born 7 August 1967 in Kandersteg, in the canton of Bern, into a Protestant mountain farmer family.[1][2] He studied agronomy at ETH Zurich. He graduated in 2002 to study at the University of Rochester as a Master of Business Administration.[3]

Professional career

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Rösti entered the Bern Department of Economic Affairs in 1998, and he served as Deputy Secretary General from 2001 to 2003 and as Secretary General from 2003 to 2006. He then became the director of Swiss Milk Producers. Since 2013 he is owner and manager of the business and politics consulting firm Büro Dr. Rösti GmbH.[3]

From 2007 to 2014, Rösti was president of the Agricultural Information Service (LID). In May 2014. He was elected as the president of Action for a Sensible Energy Policy Switzerland (AVES).[4] In May 2015, Rösti replaced Caspar Baader as the president of Swiss Oil, the Swiss association of fuel traders.[5]

Rösti lives in Uetendorf, is married, and has two children.

Political career

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From 2000 to 2007, Rösti served as the president of Uetendorf chapter of the SVP. Since January 2008 he was a member of the local council of Uetendorf, and in 2014 he became the mayor of Uetendorf, replacing Hannes Zaugg-Graf.[3][6]

Rösti ran unsuccessfully in 2010 in the Bernese Government elections. He was first elected in the 2011 Swiss federal election to the National Council. For the 2015 Swiss federal election, Rösti was the SVP's campaign manager, and he ran unsuccessfully for the Council of States for Bern.[3] Rösti served in the National Council until December 31, 2022.[7]

In November 2015, the Bern chapter of the SVP nominated Rösti as a candidate for the Swiss Federal Council for the 2015 elections, but he withdrew his candidacy for the Council two weeks later.[8][9]

On 23 April 2016, Rösti was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the SVP, replacing retiring Chairman Toni Brunner.[10][11][12] He resigned from the party leadership in 2020 after the election of Marco Chiesa.[13]

On 7 December 2022, Rösti was elected to the Federal Council in the 2022 Swiss Federal Council election, replacing Ueli Maurer.[14] He assumed office on 1 January 2023.

Personal life

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Since 1994, Rösti has been married to Theres Neuenschwander, a flight attendant with Swiss International Air Lines.[15][16] He has a daughter, Sarina Rösti (b. c. 2000) and a son, André Rösti (b.c. 1995).[17] Rösti resides in Uetendorf near Thun.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Albert Rösti zum 1. August: "Ich brauche Gottvertrauen"". Jesus (in German). 8 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Albert Rösti - Vom Bergbauernsohn zum Chef einer Bundesratspartei". bauernzeitung.ch (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Zeller, René (10 January 2016). "Sanft, aber mit Stacheln". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Albert Rösti Wird Präsident der Traditionellen AKW-Lobby". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  5. ^ Präsidium, Swiss Oil (page visited on 2 March 2017).
  6. ^ "Uetendorf: Hannes Zaugg-Graf tritt als Gemeindepräsident zurück - Region: Thun". Bernerzeitung.ch. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Albert Rösti". Federal Assembly. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  8. ^ "SVP Bern Nominiert Rösti". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Albert Rösti Ist Nicht Mehr Kandidat". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Albert Rösti Übernimmt in "Zeiten des Erfolgs"". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  11. ^ Jürgensen, Nadine (24 April 2016). "Einer, Der es Taktvoll Mag". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  12. ^ ""Ich will den Takt angeben als Präsident" - Schweiz: Standard". Tagesanzeiger.ch. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Tessiner Marco Chiesa ist neuer SVP-Präsident". Swiss Radio and Television (in German). 22 August 2020.
  14. ^ swissinfo.ch/mga (7 December 2022). "New Swiss government ministers elected to office". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Nach der Wahl in den Bundesrat – Albert Rösti löst seine Firma auf". Thuner Tagblatt (in German). 4 January 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  16. ^ Zeitung, Jungfrau. "Jungfrau Zeitung - Rösti über das Geheimnis der Liebe". www.jungfrauzeitung.ch (in German). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  17. ^ https://www.blick.ch/politik/hausbesuch-bei-albert-roesti-das-beste-pferd-im-svp-stall-id4542502.html (in German)
  18. ^ "Hausbesuch beim neuen SVP-Bundesrat Albert Rösti". Schweizer Illustrierte (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albert Rösti.
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Swiss Federal Council
2023–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Head of the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
2023–present
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