Media Minister Doris Leuthard to step down at the end of the year

He read out the magistrate's letter of resignation. Leuthard had been elected to the Federal Council on June 14, 2006, succeeding Joseph Deiss. She had previously held the party leadership and given the CVP a new image. Leuthard, who turned 55 in the spring, sat in the national government for more than twelve years. Initially, she served as economics minister, and from the fall of 2010 she headed the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (Uvek). One of her most important projects was the energy strategy. In recent years, Leuthard has been the longest-serving member of the government. It had been clear for some time that the current legislative term would be her last. Leuthard had announced last year that she would step down in the fall of 2019 at the latest. On Tuesday, FDP Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann had already announced his resignation at the end of the year. In the winter session, two seats in the national government will thus be filled. The election is expected to take place on December 5. (SDA)