Embattled Swiss interior and health minister Alain Berset is standing down at the end of the year.
This content was published on June 21, 2023
June 21, 2023
Berset, who also holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, made his announcement on Wednesday, saying it was the right moment to move on after serving as a government minister since 2012.
+ "I faced unprecedented brutality": Berset
As health minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, Berset faced fierce criticism from some quarters for his role in enforcing lockdowns in the country.
The Social Democrat has since come under closer scrutiny following allegations that his department leaked information to the media about buying vaccines before official announcements.
Berset, 51, is one of Switzerland’s most colourful politicians and has attracted headlines for an extra-marital affair that turned into blackmail and for a scrape when flying a light aircraft in France.
Only recently, he was standing defiant in the face of criticism, suggesting he would like to carry on at his post after this autumn’s general election.
“There is still so much to do. I have very large dossiers on the table that I want to finish," Berset told Swiss public broadcaster SRF earlier this month when asked if he would stand for another term.
But in an apparent u-turn, Berset now says he feels he has served as government minister for long enough.
When asked about his future plans, he joked: “Maybe I'll take up yoga. Do you know yoga?"
Social Democratic Party co-president Mattea Meyer called Berset an “approachable politician, uncomplicated person and independent statesman”.
“Covid challenged him and us as a society. We can only begin to imagine the hatred and anger he faced.”
