Pascal Couchepin

Pascal Couchepin

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Pascal Couchepin (born April 5, 1942) is a Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1998 and President of the Confederation in 2003 and 2008. He has been heading the Federal Department of Home Affairs (Swiss interior ministry) since 2003.

He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on March 11, 1998 as a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) and the canton of Valais. In 1998 he took over the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, in which position he fought against the Swiss government contributing any money to the $1.25 billion settlement between Swiss banks and Holocaust survivors. He was quoted as saying that "there is no reason for the Swiss Government to pay anything", as a government commission had shown "we did what was possible in the hard times of the war."^[1]. In 2003 he moved to the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

He was the President of the Confederation in 2003. On 13 December 2006, he was elected vice-president of the Federal Council for 2007, and, on 12 December 2007 was elected President of the Confederation in 2008.

Previously, he had been Deputy Mayor (1976) and Mayor of Martigny (since 1984) and, from 1979 to 1998, member of the National Council.

Couchepin holds a DEA's degree in Law from the University of Lausanne, is father of three (2 daughters and a son) and has two grandchildren.