Huber-Hotz was elected as Federal Chancellor in 1999 after having worked in the parliament administration for more than 20 years.
Keystone/Alessandro Della Valle
The former Federal Chancellor, Annemarie Huber-Hotz, has died following a heart attack, aged 70.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/urs
Her family said Huber-Hotz suffered a heart failure during a hiking trip on Thursday.
Huber-Hotz was elected to the post by parliament in 1999 and served until 2007 as chief manager of the seven-member Swiss government.
She was the first woman to be chosen as Federal Chancellor in modern Swiss history. The position is a political appointment but has only a technocratic role.
After her retirement, Huber-Hotz was president of several non-governmental organisations and charities, including the Swiss Red Cross and the Swiss Benevolent Society. She was also a vice-president of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
In a first reaction, the Swiss governmentExternal link has praised Huber-Hotz for her efficiency in supporting the cabinet, her patience and generosity.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss women fill high political office in 2010
This content was published on
swissinfo.ch asked political scientist Werner Seitz from the Federal Statistics Office whether any conclusions could be drawn from this – or whether it was just a coincidence. It’s fair to say that Switzerland has hardly shone regarding female suffrage: women in the United States, Britain and Germany had been voting for 50 years when their…
This content was published on
Political parties in Switzerland are submitting a growing number of initiatives for voters to decide on. In recent years, parties have increasingly used people’s initiatives to better define their political agenda and to get in the media spotlight. Critics complain that parties are misusing initiatives as marketing tools. In an interview with a Sunday newspaper,…
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.