Martin Pfister

Martin Pfister (; born 31 July 1963) is a Swiss historian and politician of the Centre who has served as a Federal Councillor since 2025, heading the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport.

A trained teacher and an in the Swiss Army, having served for eight years in disaster response, he previously served as a (Cantonal Minister) of Zug from 2016 to 2025, responsible for the health department.

Biography Political career Pfister's political career began with his election into the Cantonal Council of Zug in 2006, an office he held until 2016. From 2009 until 2012, he held the role of party leader of the CVP in Zug. In the by-elections of 17 January 2016 for the Executive Council of the Canton of Zug, Pfister was elected to fill the vacancy of Peter Hegglin. He led the health department of Zug from 2016 to 2025. As the head of the Conference of Central Swiss Health Directors, Pfister had a prominent role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the most votes of any candidate in the 2022 Executive Council elections. Initially, Pfister's opponent Markus Ritter was seen as the favorite, having far more influence in national politics. Pfister announced his candidacy at the last moment and spent several days in private afterwards, leading to him being described as an "alibi candidate". During his campaign, he focused on large geopolitical issues, often answering questions hesitantly or with "there I pull the joker". In contrast to Ritter, who aggressively presented himself as a problem-solver, Pfister spoke slowly and calmly. where he also currently resides with his family. in particular also the history of Swiss Federal Councillors and wrote his thesis about Philipp Etter, an early Federal Councillor from Zug. Together, they parent a patchwork family with four children.

Political positions Pfister is against loosening the debt brake, instead preferring to increase revenue by raising the value added tax.

Pfister's colleagues on the Executive Council in Zug have described him as "very collegial", with political opponents praising his openness to discussion. However, his readiness to compromise was also criticized as lacking decisiveness, a quality described by the NZZ as "an embodiment of The Centre like no other".