The officeholder acts as the general staff of the seven-member Federal Council.

[1] The current Chancellor, Viktor Rossi, a member of the Green Liberal Party from Bern, was elected on 13 December 2023.

[2] The election is conducted by secret ballot using an exhaustive ballot in which each member of the Assembly can vote for any eligible person in the first two rounds, but only remaining candidates in subsequent rounds.

Currently, Jörg De Bernardi acts as the Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Federal Council's agenda, reprising his role ad interim after the election of Viktor Rossi to the post of Chancellor.

In May 2024, following the sudden passing of Vice-Chancellor André Simonazzi, the Federal Council has appointed Ursula Eggenberger ad interim while searching for a permanent successor, whereas in July, Rachel Salzmann will succeed De Bernardi as Vice-Chancellor.