Moritz Leuenberger Social Democrats Simonetta Sommaruga Social Democrats Hans-Rudolf Merz FDP.The Liberals Johann Schneider-Ammann FDP.The Liberals Two by-elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held in Switzerland on 22 September 2010,[1] after federal councillors Moritz Leuenberger (SP) and Hans-Rudolf Merz (FDP.The Liberals) announced they would step down from the Federal Council towards the end of the year.

It also resulted in the first (and, to date, most recent) majority of women on the Federal Council in its history, with Sommaruga joining Micheline Calmy-Rey, Doris Leuthard and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf.

The election was complicated by the fact that Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger (Social Democratic Party, SP/PS), having previously announced his intention to retire from the council effective late December 2010, predated his resignation so that only one electoral session would have to be held (the election to his seat was initially to be held on 8 December 2010).

[6] Possible candidates by the FDP for Merz's seat included Karin Keller-Sutter, Gabi Huber, Johann Schneider-Ammann, Philipp Müller, Felix Gutzwiller, Ruedi Noser, Christa Markwalder, Fulvio Pelli, Laura Sadis, Ignazio Cassis and Peter Malama.

The Green Party contested the seat of Merz, having had with three possible candidates: Geri Müller, Marlies Bänziger and Brigit Wyss.