Flavio Cotti (18 October 193916 December 2020) was a Swiss politician who served as member of the Federal Council from 1986 to 1999. He was a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party from the canton of Ticino. In the 1990s, Cotti led the Swiss government's unsuccessful attempts to further Switzerland's political integration into the European Union. He was President of the Confederation in 1991 and 1998 and headed the departments of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
Early life and political career
Cotti was born in Muralto. After studies of law in Fribourg, he practised law in Locarno and pursued a political career in his native Ticino.
In 1962, he headed the newly founded Partito popolare democratico ticinese. In 1981 he was elected president of the cantonal Christian Democratic Party, and served as president of the national party from 1981 to 1984.
Federal Council
Cotti was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 10 December 1986, succeeding Alphons Egli, and resigned on 30 April 1999.
Cotti's political philosophy was one of optimistic globalism, and he liked to be seen as a visionary and as an homme des lettres. He led Swiss negotiations to settle claims of Holocaust survivors against Switzerland and Swiss banks.