Gerhard Andrey

Andrey started his political career in 2010 when he became board member and later vice-president of the Fribourg local section of the Swiss Green Party. In 2012, he became a board member of the national party. He held both these offices until 2016 when he became vice-president of the national Swiss Green Party. From 2016 to 2020 Andrey was a member of the committee supporting a popular initiative for a 20-day paternity leave in Switzerland.^[4]

In the Swiss Federal parliament elections of October 2019 Gerhard Andrey was elected to the Swiss National Council for the canton of Fribourg. In 2023 Andrey was reelected.^[1]

As in 2019 the Green party called the distribution of the Federal Council into question on the ground that the right-wing parties Swiss People's Party and the Liberals were in a majority on the Federal Council but had lost that majority in the federal assembly.^[a] In 2019 the Green Party had gained seats and attacked the seat of Ignazio Cassis on the council, failing in unseating him. However, in the election of 2023 the Green Party had lost seats.

Nevertheless, on 27 October 2023 the President of the Green Party Balthasar Glättli announced that yet again the Green party would attack one of the liberal party's seats.^[5] On 10 November 2023 the Green Party nominated Gerhard Andrey to the Federal Council after several high-profile green party politicians refused. The green bid was speculated to have very low chances of success.^[6] While the Swiss Social Democratic Party shared the greens point of view, they did not officially support the green bid due to the other parties announcing that if the green candidate were to be elected the other parties would not support the official candidates of the SP in the election to succeed Alain Berset, which was to happen after the other members' election.

The election for Federal Council was held on 13 December 2023. Andrey received 59 of 239 votes, attacking incumbent Ignazio Cassis who won in the first round of voting with 167 votes. He also received 15 of 224 votes attacking incumbent Karin Keller-Sutter who also won reelection. Furthermore, Andrey received votes in the reelection of Socialist party candidate Élisabeth Baume-Schneider and in the vote to elect a replacement for Socialist party Federal Councillor Alain Berset who was not seeking reelection. In both cases he was not elected.

Gerhard Andrey is married to Christina Gräni. The couple have two children, called Anna and Basil.^[3] Andrey grew up speaking German and French. Additionally, he speaks English and Spanish fluently.^[4]