Simonetta Sommaruga
| Simonetta Sommaruga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Swiss Federal Council | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 November 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Moritz Leuenberger |
| Vice President of Switzerland | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2014 | |
| President | Didier Burkhalter |
| Preceded by | Didier Burkhalter |
| Head of the Department of Justice and Police | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 November 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 May 1960 Zug, Switzerland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of Fribourg |
Simonetta Sommaruga (born 14 May 1960)[1] is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. She is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the federal government of Switzerland, and head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (the Swiss justice minister).[2]
Biography
Early life
Born in Zug, Sommaruga grew up with two brothers and a sister in Sins, Aargau. She attended the gymnasium at Immensee, Schwyz and trained as a pianist at Lucerne, California and Rome. From 1988 to 1991, she attended English and Romance studies at the University of Fribourg.
Professional career
Sommaruga held the directorship of the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation (Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz) from 1993 to 1999, which earned her public recognition in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. She has held the presidency of that foundation since 1999, and that of the aid organization Swissaid since 2003.
Political career
Sommaruga's political career began as a Social Democrat member of the Grand Council of Bern from 1981 to 1990. She served in the municipal government of Köniz from 1998 to 2005.[1] In 1999, she was elected to the National Council of Switzerland and in 2003 to the upper chamber, the Council of States, representing the Canton of Bern.
On 11 August 2010, she announced her candidacy to succeed Moritz Leuenberger in the 2010 Swiss Federal Council election.[3] She was elected on 22 September 2010.
She was elected as Vice President of the Confederation for 2014 alongside President Didier Burkhalter.
Personal life
Sommaruga is married to the writer Lukas Hartmann and lives in Spiegel near Bern.[1] She is a distant relative of Cornelio Sommaruga.
Publications
- Für eine moderne Schweiz. Ein praktischer Reformplan, with Rudolf Strahm, Nagel & Kimche, Munich, 2005, ISBN 3-312-00356-3
- Gurtenmanifest für eine neue und fortschrittliche SP-Politik PDF (235 KB), 10 May 2001
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Biography of Simonetta Sommaruga on the website of the Swiss Parliament.
- ↑ "Leuthard au DETEC, Widmer-Schlumpf aux finances". TSR Télévision Suisse Romande. SRG SSR. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ↑ « La socialiste bernoise Simonetta Sommaruga est candidate à la succession de Moritz Leuenberger », tsrinfo.ch, 11 août 2010
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Simonetta Sommaruga. |
- Biography of Simonetta Sommaruga on the website of the Swiss Parliament.
- Website of Simonetta Sommaruga
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Moritz Leuenberger |
Member of the Swiss Federal Council 2010–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf |
Head of the Department of Justice and Police 2010–present | |
| Preceded by Didier Burkhalter |
Vice President of Switzerland 2014–present | |
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