Toni Brunner
Encyclopedia
Toni Brunner is a Swiss
farmer
, national chairman of the Swiss People's Party
and a member of the Swiss National Council.
(St. Gallen
), he was first elected to the federal parliament in 1995 at the age of 21, as the youngest member ever. In addition to working on his farm, he operates an internet radio
station aimed at farmers, and chairs the St. Gallen section of his party.
On 1 March 2008, he succeeded Ueli Maurer
as chairman of the national party. Brunner is close to the party's figurehead, Christoph Blocher
, who serves as one of several vice chairmen.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, national chairman of the Swiss People's Party
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
and a member of the Swiss National Council.
Biography
Born in WattwilWattwil
Wattwil is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Wattwil has an area, , of . Of this area, 52.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 37.3% is forested...
(St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
), he was first elected to the federal parliament in 1995 at the age of 21, as the youngest member ever. In addition to working on his farm, he operates an internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
station aimed at farmers, and chairs the St. Gallen section of his party.
On 1 March 2008, he succeeded Ueli Maurer
Ueli Maurer
Ueli Maurer is a member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports...
as chairman of the national party. Brunner is close to the party's figurehead, Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher
Christoph Blocher is a Swiss politician, industrialist, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police . Currently he is serving as Vice President of the Swiss People's Party...
, who serves as one of several vice chairmen.