Samuel Schmid (born 8 January 1947 in Rüti bei Büren, Canton of Bern) is a Swiss politician who was a member of the Swiss Federal Council fromm 2000 to 2008. He was the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (notably acting as a defense minister for Switzerland).
He was elected to the Federal Council on 6 December 2000. He was a member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), and is now a member of the Conservative D...
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Samuel Schmid (born 8 January 1947 in Rüti bei Büren, Canton of Bern) is a Swiss politician who was a member of the Swiss Federal Council fromm 2000 to 2008. He was the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (notably acting as a defense minister for Switzerland).
He was elected to the Federal Council on 6 December 2000. He was a member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), and is now a member of the Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland. During his time in office he has held the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. In 2004, he was the vice-President of the Confederation and President in 2005.
Schmid was a member of the SVP's centrist/agrarian wing. He was put under pressure by the party's nationalist wing, led by former Federal Councilor Christoph Blocher, for taking a moderate stance on certain issues. After the SVP became the largest party in the Federal Assembly in the 2003 federal elections, the SVP threatened to...
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