Christoph Blocher (born 11 October 1940, Schaffhausen, Switzerland) is a Swiss politician, industrialist, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police (2004-2007). As an industrialist, he made a fortune in the chemical industry with the EMS-Chemie corporation. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Swiss Federal Council (German: , French: , Italian: , Romansh: ) is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the government as well as the head of state of Switzerland. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Ruth Metzler-Arnold (born May 23, 1964) is a Swiss politician. ... In Switzerland, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (in French: Département fédéral de justice et police, in German: Eidgenössisches Justiz- und Polizeidepartement) is one of the seven departments of the federal government, headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the Swiss minister of... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Ruth Metzler-Arnold (born May 23, 1964) is a Swiss politician. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Schaffhausen (German:  , French: Schaffhouse, Italian: Sciaffusa) is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 33,527 as of March 31, 2005. ... The Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC) is a political party in Switzerland. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Schaffhausen (German:  , French: Schaffhouse, Italian: Sciaffusa) is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 33,527 as of March 31, 2005. ... Swiss may be: Related to Switzerland: the Swiss Confederation Swiss people Swiss cheese Swiss corporations Switzerland-related topics Named Swiss: Swiss, Missouri Swiss, North Carolina Swiss, West Virginia Swiss, Wisconsin Swiss International Air Lines Swiss Re SWiSS is also used as a disparaging nickname for the Socialist Workers Student Society. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Business magnate. ... The Swiss Federal Council (German: , French: , Italian: , Romansh: ) is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the government as well as the head of state of Switzerland. ... In Switzerland, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (in French: Département fédéral de justice et police, in German: Eidgenössisches Justiz- und Polizeidepartement) is one of the seven departments of the federal government, headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council, the Swiss minister of...

Family

He is married to the former Silvia Kaiser; they have three daughters and a son.

Education

Blocher earned a certificate at the Wülflingen school of agriculture, then studied law at the University of Zürich, in Montpellier and in Paris. He has a DEA degree in law, and in 1971, he was awarded a doctorate in jurisprudence. The University of Zurich (in German: Universität Zürich) is the largest university of Switzerland, in the city of Zurich. ... Montpellier (Occitan Montpelhièr) is a city in the south of France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... In France, a DEA (diplôme détudes approfondies, or diploma of advanced studies) is a former postgraduate degree. ... For the jurisprudence of courts, see Case law. ...

Political career

Blocher built his political career through campaigning for smaller government, for a free-market economy, against Switzerland's membership in the European Union and for more tightly controlled immigration. He represented the canton of Zürich in the Swiss National Council from 1980 until his election to the federal council in 2003 as a deputy of the Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei/Union démocratique du centre; SVP/UDC). In addition to the Zürich chapter of the Swiss People's Party, he led a mass organisation, the Action for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (Aktion für eine unabhängige und neutrale Schweiz). He has frequently been compared by the media and his political opponents to figures such as Jean-Marie Le Pen and Jörg Haider. The Canton of Zürich (German: Kanton ) has a population of about 1. ... The National Council of Switzerland is the large Chamber of the parliament and has 200 seats. ... The Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC) is a political party in Switzerland. ... Jean-Marie Le Pen (born June 20, 1928, La Trinité-sur-Mer, France) is a French far-right nationalist politician, founder and president of the Front National (National Front) party. ... Jörg Haider Jörg Haider (born 26 January 1950) is an Austrian politician. ...

Blocher is leader of the party's nationalist wing, which dominates the party's delegation to the National Council.

Federal councillor

2003 election

The People's Party emerged as the largest party in the National Council in the Swiss election of 19 October 2003. Blocher personally topped the poll in Zürich, and became Switzerland's most prominent and controversial politician. Legislative elections in the Swiss Confederation were held on 19 October 2003. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses of Zurich, see Zurich (disambiguation). ...

Since 1929, the People's Party (known until 1971 as the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents [BGB]) had held a seat on the seven-member Swiss Federal Council. At the time the current coalition was formed in 1959, the BGB was the smallest party represented on the Council. By 2003, it had become the largest party, and demanded another seat at the expense of the Christian Democrats, now the smallest party. The SVP nominated Blocher as its second candidate. This generated a good deal of controversy; previously most SVP councillors came from the party's more moderate centrist-agrarian wing. The Christian Democratic Peoples Party of Switzerland (Also called Christian-Democratic Party; German: , French: , Italian: , Romansh: ) is a political party in Switzerland and a member of the Swiss coalition government. ...

After threats of pulling the other People's Party member, Samuel Schmid (a member of the centrist wing), off the council and going into opposition, Blocher was elected on 10 December 2003. He took the seat of Ruth Metzler-Arnold, only the third federal councillor in history (and the first since 1872) not to be reelected. Samuel Schmid Samuel Schmid (born January 8, 1947) is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, heading the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. ... Ruth Metzler-Arnold (born May 23, 1964) is a Swiss politician. ...

In the third round Blocher beat Metzler with 121 to 116 votes.^[1] The election was anticipated as a major media event (NZZ, 8 December 2003), and widely watched as a live broadcast. After Blocher's election, there were spontaneous protests by members of the Swiss political Left (Tages-Anzeiger, 12 December 2003). The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) is a major Swiss daily newspaper based in Zürich. ... Tages-Anzeiger, also abbreviated Tagi or TA, is a national daily newspaper in Switzerland based in Zürich. ...

Controversies

As a result of a reshuffling of Federal Council seats, Blocher became head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police.

During 2004, Blocher's unconventionally unaccommodating stance towards his fellow federal councillors was the cause for speculations about the future of the Swiss concordance system. He was attacked by his colleague Pascal Couchepin in an interview with the NZZ newspaper in the October 3 Sunday edition. This was unprecedented in Switzerland; members of the Federal Council traditionally do not publicly criticise each other. In Swiss politics, concordance system (German Konkordanzsystem) refers to the presence — since 1952 — of all of the four major parties in the Federal Council, a system that was originally forced on the parliament electing the council by the direct democracy of Switzerland, where a sizeable opposition could in principle paralyse... Pascal Couchepin (born April 5, 1942) is a Swiss politician. ... The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) is a major Swiss daily newspaper based in Zürich. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The ongoing controversy is also reflected in the scandal resulting from a performance by the artist Thomas Hirschhorn at the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris on December 5, 2004. Hirschhorn, a Swiss, has refused to exhibit anywhere in Switzerland since Blocher's rise to power, and in the performance, which was supported by the publicly funded Pro Helvetia institution, an actor pretended to urinate on an image of Blocher. The resignation of councillor Joseph Deiss in 2006 has been connected in some media reports with the poisoned atmosphere on the council since Blocher's election. This was however not supported by other remaining council members, nor by the then-president, Moritz Leuenberger. Thomas Hirschhorn (born in Bern, 1957) is a Swiss instalations artist. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Joseph Deiss (born January 18, 1946) is an economist and Swiss politician. ... Moritz Leuenberger (born September 21, 1946) is a Swiss politician, lawyer, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1995 and President of the Confederation for the years 2001 and 2006. ...

In a public speech held at his cantonal party's annual Albisgüetlitagung in Zürich on January 20 2006, Blocher labeled two Albanians seeking political asylum as "criminals", although no judicial sentence had been spoken at the time. Later, when confronted, he claimed before the Swiss Council of States that he had only used the word 'accused'. Since the speech had been recorded, he then had to admit that he had mistakenly used the word "criminals". In July 2006, a commission of the Council of States reprimanded Blocher, stating that the setting of false prejudice and making false statement to the Council of States constituted unacceptable behaviour for a Federal Councillor. is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Council of States of Switzerland (German: Ständerat, French Conseil des Etats, Italian Consiglio degli Stati) is the upper house of the Swiss parliament. ...

civil unrest in Lausanne in the wake of anti-Blocher protests of 18 September

On 5 September 2007, a parliamentary committee sharply criticised Blocher for overstepping his mandate in his handling of the resignation of former chief prosecutor Valentin Roschacher in 2006. In addition, documents confiscated in March by the German authorities from private banker Oskar Holenweger under suspicion of money laundering were presented as supporting a possible involvement of Blocher in a plot to oust Roschacher from office. Blocher denied any involvement in such a plan. These developments happened to coincide with a campaign alleging a "secret plan to oust Blocher" initiated by the SVP on 27 August, and party spokesperson S. R. Jäggi on 6 September confirmed that campaign was referring to the documents incriminating Blocher in the Roschacher affair now revealed.^[2][3] Tension surrounding the "Blocher-Roschacher affair" was fuelled by the upcoming 2007 federal election. On 25 September, the National Council decided to press a debate of the affair before the elections, overturning a decision by the council's office. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2336 × 3504 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2336 × 3504 pixel, file size: 3. ... Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Saturday, October 20, 2007; the second round of the elections to the Council of States will be held on 11 November, 18 November and 25 November 2007. ... The National Council of Switzerland (German: Nationalrat, French: Conseil National, Italian: Consiglio Nazionale) is the large Chamber of the parliament and has 200 seats. ...

Blocher is still a popular target for the opposition. For example on 18 September 2007, Blocher's appearance at the Comptoir suisse (Swiss fair) in Lausanne was disrupted by protesters.^[4] Lausanne (pronounced ) is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman), and facing Évian-les-Bains (France) and with the Jura mountains to its north. ...

2007 non-reelection

Demonstration in Lausanne on the 8 December to call for Christoph Blocher to be ousted from the Federal Council in the upcoming elections. Blocher was replaced by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf four days later.

In the Swiss Federal Council elections of 12 December 2007, Blocher did not receive the necessary number of votes in the parliament to retain his seat. In his stead, the parliament elected Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (a moderate SVP member), who accepted the mandate on 13 December 2007.^[5] Blocher thus became the fourth federal councillor to be ousted from office in the history of the Swiss Federal State, following Ruth Metzler whom he had replaced the previous term, besides Ulrich Ochsenbein and Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel in the 19th century. is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Ruth Metzler-Arnold (born May 23, 1964) is a Swiss politician. ... Ulrich Ochsenbein (November 24, 1811 - November 3, 1890) was a Swiss politician. ... Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel (May 11, 1811 - August 6, 1893) was a Swiss politician. ...

References

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) is a major Swiss daily newspaper based in Zürich. ... RSRs latest logo RSRs former logo Radio Suisse Romande (RSR) is an enterprise unit within public-broadcasting corporation SRG SSR idée suisse. ...

See also

• Minaret controversy in Switzerland
• Swiss People's Party
• AUNS

The construction of minarets is, as of 2007, a subject of political controversy in Switzerland. ... The Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC) is a political party in Switzerland. ... The AUNS (Aktion für eine unabhängige und neutrale Schweiz campaign for the independence and neutrality of Switzerland, in French Action pour une Suisse Indépendante et Neutre ASIN, in Italian Azione per una Svizzera neutrale e indipendente ASNI) is a right-wing, isolationist conservative political organization of Switzerland...

External links

• Christoph Blocher website (German)
• Profile of Christoph Blocher with election results on the website of the Swiss Federal Council.

• Biography of Christoph Blocher on the website of the Swiss Parliament. (German)
• Q&A / Cristoph Blocher : Swiss Politician Rejects Racist Label