Pascal Couchepin heads into parliament surrounded by politicians and the media on 31 October, 2009, the final day of the summer session. Couchepin announced his resignation on 12 June, 2009. (Keystone/ Alessandro della Valle)
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Couchepin answers question during question time on 8 June, 2009, in Bern. (Keystone/ Peter Klaunzer)
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Couchepin rides the Rhaetischen Bahn train across the Albulalinie bei Filisur viaduct on 28 February, 2006. He was leading a Unesco delegation on the way to the St Johann monestary in Müstair. (Keystone/ Arno Balzarini)
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Couchepin is pictured at a news conference on 20 August, 2008, the day he informed the media that army chief Roland Nef resigned. (Keystone/ Peter Schneider)
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Couchepin stands with Jean-Piere Salamin, a commune official from Grimentz, in canton Valais, on 4 July, 2008. (Keystone/ Jean-Christophe Bott)
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Couchepin and his wife Brigitte take in a 3D film during a visit to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt, 11 January, 2008. It was part of a one-week visit to Morocco and Egypt while Couchepin held Switzerland's rotating presidency. (Keystone/POOL/Laurent Gillieron)
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Couchepin freezes while waiting for the plane of Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom to arrive at the Zurich airport on 30 October, 2008. (Keystone/ Steffan Schmidt)
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Couchepin marvels at a crown of Margret of York of 1474, the third wife of Charles the Bold, which was part of the a special exhibition at the Bern History Museum on 24 April, 2008. The exhibition, displaying works of art exemplifying Burgundian court culture, ran from April 25 to August 24. (Keystone/ Alessandro della Valle)
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Couchepin spoke with Swiss army recuits on 26 August, 2008 in canton Vaud. (Keystone/ Laurent Gillieron)
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Couchepin looks through the more funky glasses of fellow cabinet minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on 11 December, 2006 in the Swiss parliament. (Keystone/ Monika Flueckiger)
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Pascal Couchepin will have lots of time to think about the future.
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The Swiss interior minister will step down on 31 October, 2009. The move was no surprise. Pascal Couchepin had been under fire for his ideas to reform the Swiss health system, which has seen spiralling costs. A former mayor of Martigny, the 67-year-old Couchepin was elected to cabinet in 1998.
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