Bern UDC puts cantonal minister Pierre Alain Schnegg forward for Federal Council seat

The Bern section of the Swiss People's Party (UDC) issued a communiqué naming Pierre Alain Schnegg as its nominee for the upcoming Federal Council election. Schnegg, one outlet cantonal minister responsible for Health, Social Affairs and Integration, hails from Bévilard in the Jura Bernois and will turn 64 in December. Since his 2016 election to the French-speaking seat for the Jura Bernois, he has earned a solid reputation inside and outside the canton, notably ending ten years of a red-green majority.

In March 2026 he secured a third term on the cantonal executive, pledging to complete it. The party’s brief statement emphasizes that his candidacy broadens the field of capable French-speaking candidates and is not a direct challenge to Geneva-based candidate Céline Amaudruz.