Canton Zug celebrates election of new government minister Martin Pfister
Martin Pfister, the new Swiss defence minister, was welcomed by hundreds of people in his hometown Baar on Thursday.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Canton Zug celebrates election of new government minister Martin Pfister
Canton Zug residents celebrated the election of Martin Pfister as new Swiss government minister on Thursday. Hundreds of people welcomed him in Baar, his hometown, as he stepped off a special train from Bern.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
Le canton de Zoug fête son conseiller fédéral Martin Pfister
Original
Pfister, who will take over from Defence Minister Viola Amherd next month, appeared visibly moved as he greeted the crowd and shook hands. He received a long round of applause from the large crowd.
Led by Baar drummers, a procession left the railway station square, which was covered with red carpet for the occasion, and made its way to the site of the official festivities. A ceremony for the guests was held in the evening.
Viola Amherd and Kaspar Villiger
Among the many guests accompanying Pfister were Viola Amherd, Federal Chancellor Viktor Rossi, the president of the Zug government Andreas Hostettler, and parliamentarians from Bern.
More
More
Pfister to become new Swiss defence minister
This content was published on
Newly elected Swiss government minister, Martin Pfister, will take over at the defence department.
Former government minister Kaspar Villiger was also present. The Lucerne Radical-Liberal politician was a member of the Federal Council from 1989 to 2003, and was the last member of the federal government from central Switzerland.
Cooperation and collaboration
In his speech, Pfister thanked the people for their warm welcome and said that he would remember them in difficult times. He went on to stress the importance of cooperation with neighbouring cantons. For Switzerland too, cooperation with its European neighbours is decisive, he added.
More
More
Martin Pfister named new Swiss government minister
This content was published on
Pfister’s election keeps the linguistic balance of Switzerland’s government, but shifts gender balance to only two women.
“Together, we can meet major challenges without losing our independence,” said Pfister. A secure Europe is also important for Switzerland. Concluding his speech, he called on the population to get involved politically and socially, “because the greatest enemy of democracy is indifference”.
Socks for a ‘clear mind’
The municipality of Baar presented Pfister and his colleagues in the Federal Council with pairs of socks as gifts. Mayor Walter Lipp explained that the socks were intended to contribute to collegiality, particularly when work in the Federal Palace becomes demanding or cold. “He who has warm feet has a clear mind,” said Lipp.
The president of the Zug government presented the new minister with a piece of wood from a post that supports the foundations of the cantonal executive building in Zug. It symbolises Pfister’s solidity and resilience, someone who is made of “solid Zug wood” and has shoulders strong and stable enough to support the weight of the federal government, explained Andreas Hostettler.
Pfister was elected to the Federal Council on March 12. He will succeed Amherd as defence minister on April 1.
Translated from French with DeepL/sb
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Swiss-EU: Federal Council adopts measures to secure wage protection
This content was published on
The Swiss government has adopted a package of measures to protect Swiss wages, should the new agreements negotiated with the European Union (EU) come into force.
Switzerland must participate in EU Migration Pact, says government
This content was published on
As a signatory of Europe's Schengen/Dublin cooperation agreements, Switzerland must participate in the reform of the European migration and asylum system, says the government.
Switzerland steps up defence cooperation with NATO
This content was published on
On Friday, the Swiss government approved the country's participation in a Patriot missile project run by NATO's Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
Vaud government removes Valérie Dittli from finance minister role
This content was published on
The Vaud government announced on Friday that it had removed Valérie Dittli from her role as finance minister in the western Swiss region.
Swiss attorney general takes over suspected RUAG MRO fraud probe
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has taken over the criminal investigation into the case of alleged fraud at RUAG MRO, a Swiss military technology firm.
Glaciers over 3,000m can be preserved via better climate protection
This content was published on
Stronger global climate protection could preserve more than a quarter of the ice in the Swiss Alps, says the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT).
Swiss UN rapporteur urges Washington to release Columbia University student
This content was published on
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Nicolas Levrat, and eight other legal experts, have called on the US to release Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil.
This content was published on
Nestlé plans to close its factory in Germany at Neuss, near Düsseldorf, by mid-2026. The Swiss food giant also plans to sell its Conow plant, near the Polish border, early next year.
UBS mulls moving HQ abroad, according to media report
This content was published on
The Swiss bank UBS could relocate its Swiss headquarters abroad if capital demand is not reduced, Bloomberg News reports.
SWISS cancels flights to London’s Heathrow Airport after power station fire
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) says it has cancelled all flights from Geneva and Zurich to Heathrow Airport on Friday following a huge fire at a power sub-station.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.