Former Swiss President Alain Berset, 52, was elected Tuesday general secretary of the Council of Europe, an institution guaranteeing the rule of law on a continent marked by the war in Ukraine and the rise of populism.
He was elected in the second round by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) with 114 votes, compared to 85 for the Estonian Indrek Saar, former Minister of Culture, and 46 for the Belgian Didier Reynders, European Commissioner outgoing to Justice, according to a spokesperson for the Council.
He will take office on September 18, when he will succeed Croatian Marija Pejcinovic Buric, whose mandate was marked by the war in Ukraine and the historic exclusion of Moscow from the Council of Europe in March 2022.
In a press conference held after his election, Alain Berset said he was “very happy” with the confidence placed by PACE, calling for “to continue the work to have democratic values around the rule of law and rights of man who are as strong as possible.”
He also mentioned as “first priority” “strong support for Ukraine”, “not only” for the country but also “for the whole continent”, “for democratic values”, “the rule of law » and “human rights”.
“The Swiss Federal Council “welcomes the election” of Mr. Berset, declared on X the President of the Confederation and Minister of Defense, Viola Amherd. “A new chapter for the Council of Europe,” reacted, also on X, the French representation to the institution.
Mr. Berset was one of the most popular politicians in Switzerland when he took everyone by surprise when he announced his departure from the Federal Council at the end of 2023.
For 12 years, this member of the Socialist Party held the portfolio of Internal Affairs within the Swiss federal government.
Alain Berset twice held the rotating presidency of the Swiss Confederation in 2018 and 2023, an essentially ceremonial one-year position that federal advisors hold with their ministry.
In August 2023, he also hit the headlines by becoming the first federal councilor to join the Zurich Street Parade, one of the most important techno festivals in the world, where he was seen parading on a float, wearing a large Panama hat, his neck adorned with a bright red boa and a can of beer in his hand.
Married and father of three children, Alain Berset was born on April 9, 1972 in Friborg (central-west Switzerland). A graduate in political science, he also has a doctorate in economic sciences.
He will take the reins of an institution at a time when the European continent, already deeply marked by the war in Ukraine, is experiencing a rise in nationalism and populism.
She also indicated that the organization would help “at the expert level” in the establishment of a “special court for the crime of aggression” to judge the Russian attack on Ukraine.
After the establishment of a “register” of Russian destruction in Ukraine, which began operating in The Hague in April, the Council of Europe will begin discussions in July with the Dutch government on the creation of a mechanism compensation for Ukrainian victims.
Founded in 1949 in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, brings together 46 countries since the exclusion of Russia in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.
