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Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin announced his resignation, saying he will leave office at the end of the year, when his one-year term as the country’s rotating President also ends, Bloomberg reported.
Parmelin, 66, is currently the longest-serving member of Switzerland’s executive, having been part of the government for more than a decade. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party politician will step down on Dec. 31, he said on Friday in Bern.
“It’s never the right time to leave,” he told reporters. “There’s always something you maybe want to finish and then something else starts. At some point, you have to decide.”
Swiss ministers are elected for four-year terms and there’s no limit to how many of those they can do. They typically stay in office for about a decade, according to the government website.
The Swiss People’s Party is expected to retain his seat on the Federal Council, which rules the country. His successor will be elected by parliament, probably in December. He or she will not necessarily take over the economy department, as it is also possible that ministers swap jobs.
Switzerland’s government isn’t made up of a coalition or an outright majority, but of seven members from the country’s four largest parties. Decisions are usually made by consensus, and ministers are bound by the long-standing principle of publicly supporting the executive’s stance regardless of their party’s position or how they voted behind closed doors.
The Swiss presidency rotates among the members of government annually.
Currently finishing his second stint as president, Parmelin told reporters he believes he leaves Switzerland “well positioned to tackle challenges” and that it is time for others to take over.
“No one is irreplaceable,” he said. “The cemeteries are full of people who thought they were absolutely indispensable.”
“The passion for the job is no longer as strong as it was at the start,” Parmelin told the media in Bern on Friday, while ruling out any health issues, according to SWI swissinfo.