Ueli Maurer

Early life and education

Maurer was born 1 December 1950 in Wetzikon, to Ulrich Maurer Sr., a financially destitute farmer, and Annemarie Maurer (née Knecht). His father did not own farmland and was only a leaseholder.Maurer, Ueli (HLS/DSS)

https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/049422/2024-01-11/ His grandfather went to Alaska during the Gold rush.

Maurer was raised in the Zürcher Oberland. He completed a commercial apprenticeship, and completed a federal certification in accounting. Maurer was the only non-academic to serve on the Federal Council until his resignation in 2022.

Professional career

He was director of the Zürich Farmers' Association from 1994 to 2008 and president of the Swiss Vegetable Farmers' Association and the Farmers' Machinery Association (Maschinenring) until his election to the Federal Council.

Maurer is married and has six children and currently resides in Hinwil in the canton of Zürich. He served in the Swiss Army with the rank of major, commanding a bicycle infantry battalion.

Political career

Cantonal politics

From 1978 to 1986, Maurer was a member of the municipal government of Hinwil. He was elected to the cantonal parliament of Zürich in 1983, which he presided over in 1991. In that year, he lost an election to the cantonal government against Moritz Leuenberger, as his opponents derided Maurer's campaign as inept and himself as a naïve devotee of party strongman Christoph Blocher. In the same year's national election, though, Maurer was elected to the National Council.

National career and party leadership

In 1996, at Blocher's behest, Maurer was elected to the presidency of the Swiss People's Party. Not taken seriously at first and parodied by TV comedian Viktor Giacobbo as Blocher's servile sycophant so memorably that his taunted children regularly returned from school in tears, his presidency saw the party double its voter base, establish itself in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and become the country's strongest political party. These successes have been largely credited to Maurer's leadership, who was able to make up a lack of charisma with hard work, the imposition of strict party discipline, a keen sense for promising populist issues (such as opposition to European integration, foreigners and political correctness) as well as a penchant for headline-grabbing soundbites, as attested by an often-cited statement of his: "As long as I talk of negroes, the camera stays on me".

As president of the People's Party, Maurer was a leading force behind the party's aggressive and successful populist campaigns – campaigns that drew the ire of the Swiss political mainstream and the concern of foreign observers – signing off on cartoonish posters attacking leftists, foreigners and other undesirables. In a breach with Swiss political etiquette, he did not shy away from direct personal attacks on fellow politicians, labeling the center-right Free Democrats as "softies", Social Democratic voters as deranged, and renegade Federal Councillors Schmid and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf as "appendices" requiring excision. Nonetheless, Maurer was able to keep his public persona separate from the way his colleagues in Parliament perceived him. In the National Council, his personal stature grew during his service and even political opponents credited his personal integrity, collegial demeanour and solid grasp of political issues. His good professional relations with Social Democratic women representatives were particularly noted by puzzled political observers.

Even as his and his party's star rose, however, relations between Maurer and his longtime mentor Blocher slowly cooled, even though the two men remained strong allies in public. Blocher, used to exercising authoritarian leadership as the party's undisputed leading figure, did not approve of Maurer questioning some of his strategic approaches, and increasingly exercised power through a close-knit circle of followers instead of through Maurer and the party secretariat. In October 2007, after the People's Party won its greatest electoral victory to date, Maurer resigned as party president and was succeeded against his wishes by Toni Brunner, one of Blocher's close confidants, on 1 March 2008. After losing a runoff election for a Council of States seat against Verena Diener, Maurer contented himself with the presidency of the Zürich section of the People's Party.

Swiss Federal Council

On 27 November 2008, the party's parliamentary group unanimously nominated both Maurer and Blocher as candidates to succeed Schmid as Federal Councillor. With Blocher – who was ousted from the Federal Council in 2007 – considered unelectable by all other parties, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and other Swiss media called Maurer the clear frontrunner for the Council seat even before his nomination. On 10 December 2008 Maurer was elected to the Federal Council in the third round of voting with 122 votes, a margin of a single vote.

Maurer was elected Vice President of Switzerland for 2012, alongside President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. On 5 December 2012 he was elected President of the Swiss Confederation for 2013.

Maurer was reelected as federal councillor on 8 December 2015; on 11 December 2015 he was selected to become head of the Federal Department of Finance, with newly-elected federal councillor Guy Parmelin, a fellow member of the SVP/UDC, replacing him as head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. As Switzerland's finance minister, Maurer attended the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit, becoming the first federal councillor to attend a G20 summit.

Maurer became President of the Swiss Confederation for a second time for 2019 after serving as vice president under Alain Berset in 2018. On 29 April 2019, during his visit in China, Maurer signed a Memorandum of Understanding under the Belt and Road Initiative. On 16 May 2019, Maurer met President Donald Trump in the White House, becoming the first Swiss president to meet a United States president in that location. The two discussed several issues, including Iran and a potential free trade agreement.

On 20 September 2022 Maurer announced his resignation, effective 31 December.

Later career

On 1 January 2023, Maurer joined the ethics committee of the International Olympic Committee.

In February 2024, Maurer criticized "hysteria around Covid" and vaccine mandates, and defended his actions as Federal Councillor during the pandemic.

Personal life

In 1976, Maurer married Anne-Claude Peter, a social worker, who was the daughter of Jacques Peter, originally a carpenter, who served as a missionary in Ghana. They were introduced at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport during travels, as she was in the U.S. as an au pair and he traveled to Alaska, following his grandfathers footsteps. They had six children;

• Ulrich "Ueli" Maurer, Jr. (born 1978), an economist, who currently serves as CEO of Aebi Schmidt in Norway.
• Benjamin "Ben" Maurer (born 1981), a farmer and saddler, married to Claudia Gretener, currently resides in Horsefly, British Columbia.
• Ursina Maurer (born 1983)
• Björn Maurer (born 1986)
• Sidonia Anna Maurer (born 1990)
• Corsin Maurer (born 1997)

Additionally, the family hosted several foster children over the years.

References

References

1. Eidgenössische Bundeskanzlei: ''Der Bund kurz erklärt'', Seite 63. Erschienen 2009.
2. (27 November 2008). "Maurer joins Blocher in race for cabinet seat".
3. (5 December 2018). "Ueli Maurer élu président de la Confédération".
4. (19 December 2008). "Ueli Maurer lüftet das Geheimnis um seine Frau".
5. (26 October 2007). "Main parties undergo shake-up after elections".
6. Martins, Catarina. (25 October 2022). "Ueli Mauerer: letzter Nicht-Akademiker verlässt Bundesrat".
7. {{Parlament.ch. 146
8. (29 November 2008). "Major Maurers Marschbefehl". Tagblatt.
9. (27 November 2008). "Ueli Maurer – Unterwegs im Dienste der Partei". [[Berner Zeitung]].
10. Vonarburg, Verena. (26 October 2007). "Vom Unterhund zum Wolf im Schafspelz". [[Tages-Anzeiger]].
11. Benini, Francesco. (23 November 2008). "Der Favorit: Ueli Maurer ist erster Anwärter für die Nachfolge Schmids im Bundesrat". [[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]].
12. Cavelty, Gieri. (25 November 2008). "Maurer: Der Scharfmacher kann durchaus angenehm sein". [[Berner Zeitung]].
13. In the original German: «Solange ich Neger sage, bleibt die Kamera bei mir.»
14. Jordan, Frank. (1 September 2007). "Swiss Expulsion Proposal Draws Criticism". [[Washington Post]].
15. (1 March 2008). "People's Party elects new leader".
16. (25 November 2007). "Rightwing party unable to consolidate gains".
17. (7 August 2008). "Wir sind die einzige noch verbleibende bürgerliche Partei". [[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]].
18. [https://archive.today/20120912095334/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Photo_finish_vote_puts_Maurer_in_cabinet.html?siteSect=105&sid=10074406&cKey=1228906489000&ty=st ''Photo-finish vote puts Maurer in cabinet.''] swissinfo.ch, 10 December 2008. Accessed 17 December 2008.
19. (5 December 2012). "Maurer to Become Swiss president".
20. (1 January 2013). "President Stresses Swiss Unity but EU Separation".
21. (11 December 2015). "Ueli Maurer wird Finanzminister". Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
22. (11 December 2015). "People's Party finally nails finance minister job".
23. (7 July 2017). "Swiss Join Discussions on Financial Priorities at G20".
24. (2 July 2017). "Ueli Maurer am G20-Gipfel". [[Luzerner Zeitung]].
25. (8 July 2017). ""Hier werden wir ernst genommen"". [[Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen]].
26. (1 January 2019). "Ueli Maurer – an old, new Swiss president".
27. Stephens, Thomas. (29 April 2019). "Swiss president strengthens economic ties with China - SWI". Swissinfo.ch.
28. (26 April 2019). "Swiss president defends controversial Chinese project".
29. (16 May 2019). "Trump to receive Swiss president in White House".
30. (16 May 2019). "Maurer wird heute von Trump empfangen". [[Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen]].
31. (16 May 2019). "Trump open to talks on U.S.-Swiss free trade deal: Swiss president". [[Reuters]].
32. (16 May 2019). "Trump discusses economic relations and 'good offices' with Swiss president".
33. (17 May 2019). "Swiss president on Trump: 'You could get along with him'".
34. (30 September 2022). "«J'ai un œil qui pleure et un œil qui rit»: Ueli Maurer se retire du Conseil fédéral". Le Temps.
35. Pillard, Benjamin. (1 October 2022). "Maurer débranche, pressé de redevenir le «Ueli normal»". 24 heures.
36. (18 January 2023). "Ueli Maurer entre à la commission d'éthique du CIO".
37. (4 February 2024). "Ex-Swiss government minister rejects Covid-19 'hysteria'".
38. "Maurer, Ueli".
39. (19 December 2008). "Ueli Maurer lüftet das Geheimnis um seine Frau".
40. Kälin, Von Benno. (27 December 2008). "Jetzt reden die Maurer-Kinder".
41. (6 October 2023). ""Ich bin ein Impfgegner – grundsätzlich"".
42. (19 December 2008). "Ueli Maurer lüftet das Geheimnis um seine Frau".