Micheline Calmy-Rey
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| Micheline Calmy-Rey | |
| Image:Micheline Calmy-Rey.gif
| |
| | |
|---|---|
| In office 01 January 2007 – 31 December 2007 | |
| Vice President(s) | Pascal Couchepin |
| Preceded by | Moritz Leuenberger |
| Succeeded by | Pascal Couchepin |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 01 January2002 | |
| Preceded by | Ruth Dreifuss |
| Born | 8 July 1945 Sion |
| Spouse | André Calmy |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Geneva |
Micheline Calmy-Rey (born July 8, 1945) is a Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2003. She is head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (the Swiss foreign minister) and President of the Confederation for 2007.
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[edit] Early life and education
Calmy-Rey was born in Sion in the canton of Valais to Charles and Adeline Rey. She received her diploma in 1963 in St. Maurice, and received a DEA degree in political science at the Institut de hautes études internationales (HEI) (Graduate Institute of International Studies) in 1968. In 1966 she married André Calmy. They have two children.
[edit] Career
From 1981-1997 Calmy-Rey served as a representative in the Grand Conseil of the canton of Geneva as a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSS/SPS), and served as president of the assembly during 1992-1993. She was president of the Geneva section of the party from 1986-1990 and again from 1993-1997. In 1997, Calmy-Rey was elected to the Conseil d'Etat of Geneva. In 2001 she became head of the Finance Department and president of the Conseil d'Etat.
She was elected on December 4, 2002 to the Federal Council, heading the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Calmy-Rey is only the fourth woman elected to the Federal Council in history. On December 7, 2005 she was elected Vice-President of Switzerland, a post she held for the calendar year of 2006.
[edit] Presidency
On January 1st 2007 she became the second female President of the Confederation in history, the first having been her predecessor on the Federal Council, Ruth Dreifuss. She was elected as President on 13 December 2006 by 147 votes. However, by Swiss tradition, it was a foregone conclusion she would be elected. She had been the longest-serving councilor not to have been President, and had served as Vice-President for 2006.
As President of the Confederation, she presides over meetings of the Federal Council and carries out certain representative functions that would normally be handled by a head of state in other democracies, (though in Switzerland, the Federal Council as a whole is regarded as the head of state). She is also the highest-ranking official in the Swiss order of precedence, and has the power to act on behalf of the whole Council in emergency situations. However, in most cases she is merely primus inter pares, with no power above and beyond her six colleagues.
She had already handled most official visits abroad since being elected to the Federal Council; the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs traditionally carries out such visits.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Profile of Micheline Calmy-Rey with election results on the website of the Swiss Federal Council.
- Micheline Calmy-Rey in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ruth Dreifuss | Member of the Swiss Federal Council 2003 – present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by Moritz Leuenberger | President of the Confederation 2007 | Succeeded by Pascal Couchepin |
Current Members of the Swiss Federal Council | |
|---|---|
Moritz Leuenberger · Pascal Couchepin · Samuel Schmid · Micheline Calmy-Rey · Hans-Rudolf Merz · Doris Leuthard · Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf | Image:Coat of Arms of Switzerland.svg |
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