Brigitte Häberli-Koller

Brigitte Häberli-Koller
Official portrait, 2022

President of the Council of States
In office 28 November 2022 – 4 December 2023
Preceded by	Thomas Hefti
Succeeded by	Eva Herzog
Member of the National Council
In office 2003–2011
Member of the Council of States
Incumbent
Assumed office 2011

Personal details
Born	(1958-08-23) 23 August 1958 (age 65) Wetzikon, Zürich, Switzerland
Political party	The Centre, former CVP
Children	3

Brigitte Häberli-Koller (born 23 August 1958) is a Swiss politician of the party The Centre (DM, CVP until 2021). She is a former member of the National Council and a current of the Council of States of which she served as its president from 2022 to 2023.

Early life and education

Brigitte Häberli was born in August 1958 in Wetzikon, Canton of Zürich^[1] but has her place of origin in Münchenbuchsee in Canton of Bern.^[1] After she completed her apprenticeship as a merchant, she worked for some time in Zurich.^[2]

Political career

She joined The Centre in In 1996 she became a member of the Executive Council of Bichelsee-Balterswil,^[3]^[1] the same year she was also elected into the Grand Council of Thurgau representing CVP.^[3] She worked for both political offices until 2003.^[1] In the Federal Elections of 2003, she was elected into the National Council by a margin of sixteen votes, representing the CVP for Thurgau.^[4] In 2005, she was discussed as possible president of CVP, but then declined.^[3] 2011 she was a member of the National Council.^[3] In the Federal Elections of 2011 she was elected into the Council of States.^[3] She was the first women to represent the Canton of Thurgau in the Council of States.^[3] In November 2022 she was elected as the president of the Council of States.^[5] Élisabeth Baume-Schneider of the Social Democratic Party (SP) and Lisa Mazzone of the Green Party (GP) will assume the first and second Vice-Presidencies, therefore making it the first Council of States presided by three women.^[4]^[6]

Presidency of Council of States

In her inaugurating speech, Brigitte Häberli-Koller appealed to the political instrument of a direct democracy, which would allow the Swiss population to remain honest.^[4]

Personal life

Brigitte Häberli-Koller is married and the mother of three children.^[3] Her political career is celebrated in her municipality and after her election to the presidency of the Council of States she was granted an honorary citizenship of Bichelsee-Balterswil.^[7] She lives in Bichelsee with her husband.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Ratsmitglied ansehen". Swiss Parliament. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ ^a ^b Fürer, Tizian. "Interview - Brigitte Häberli: Die Ständerätin aus Bichelsee im Interview". St. Galler Tagblatt (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Thurgauer Mitte-Politikerin Brigitte Häberli krönt ihre Karriere". wil24.ch (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bachmann, Gina. "Ständerat: Brigitte Häberli-Koller zur Präsidentin gewählt". Aargauer Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ "Wer sind die Neuen? - Häberli-Koller und Candinas: Die Ostschweiz übernimmt die Macht". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (in German). 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ Briner, Maja (21 November 2022). "Das gab es noch nie: Erstmals übernimmt ein Frauentrio die Spitze des Ständerats – und das ist nicht das einzige Novum". Solothurner Zeitung.
^ Stemer, Francesca. "Feier: Brigitte Häberli in Bichelsee-Balterswil". bz Basel (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-06.