Walter Thurnherr Energy and Communications in 2011 as her chief of staff. He stood for election to succeed Corina Casanova as Federal Chancellor of Switzerland on 9 December 2015, as the first unopposed candidate in ninety years, and was elected by the Swiss Federal Assembly with 230 votes (out of 234 possible). He assumed office on 1 January 2016. Walter Thurnherr Walter Thurnherr (born 11 July 1963) is the Federal Chancellor of Switzerland since 1 January 2016. Born in Muri, Thurnherr graduated as a physicist at the ETH Zürich. In 1989, he joined the ranks of Switzerland's diplomatic corps. In 2002, he
Oswald Sigg Oswald Sigg Oswald Sigg (born 1944 in Zürich) is a Swiss journalist. In August 2005, he was elected Vice-Chancellor of Switzerland and Spokesman of the government of Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Council. He served as Spokesman until his retirement on 31 March 2009. Sigg studied sociology and economics in St. Gallen, Paris and Berne. After graduating, he served as deputy spokesperson for the Federal Chancellery between 1975 and 1980, then as a spokesperson for the Federal Department of Finance (1975-1980), the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (1998-2004) and the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications