Swiss defence minister elected as president for 2013

GENEVA.  December 5. KAZINFORM The Swiss parliament on Wednesday in Bern elected Defense Minister Ueli Maurer as the country's president for 2013.
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The 62-year-old received 148 out of 202 votes in the parliamentary presidential election, which is the third lowest in nearly 50 years, local media reported.

Born in Zurich, Maurer is member of Switzerland's largest party, the rightwing Swiss People's Party.

Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter was elected vice president with 205 out of 219 votes.

The country's seven members of the Federal Council, or government, in turn took the presidency for 12 months. One has to be vice president first in order to be elected as president in the next year

Source: Xinhua

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