Economics Minister Guy Parmelin will serve as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2026, securing the office with a result that sets a new benchmark for the current millennium.

Parmelin received 203 votes out of 228 ballot papers, surpassing both his previous presidential election tally in 2021 and all presidential election results recorded in Switzerland since the year 2000. Five ballots were declared invalid, 13 were left blank, and seven parliamentarians opted for an alternative candidate.

The 66-year-old SVP politician previously garnered 188 votes ahead of his 2021 presidential year and 196 votes when he was elected vice president in 2024. Although the annual election of the Swiss president is largely ceremonial—given the rotational nature of the office—it often serves as a barometer of parliamentary approval for Federal Council members.

Historically, Swiss presidents have averaged around 172 votes over the past 25 years. Prior to Parmelin’s result, the strongest tallies came from Ueli Maurer (2019, 201 votes), Pascal Couchepin (2008, 197 votes), and Johann Schneider-Ammann (2016, 196 votes). At the other end of the spectrum, Micheline Calmy-Rey recorded just 106 votes in 2011—the weakest result in recent decades—while Alain Berset received 140 votes in 2023, well below the long-term average.

Parmelin’s resounding support underscores both his standing within parliament and the political stability surrounding his return to the rotating presidency. Photo by Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei, Wikimedia commons.