Editing Pierre Aubert (section)

==Political career==
He was elected to the [[Swiss Federal Council]] on 7 December 1977 as member of the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party]] from the [[canton of Neuchâtel]].<ref name="Dies">{{cite web | title=Former Cabinet Minister Aubert Dies | url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/obituary_former-cabinet-minister-aubert-dies/42215456 | date=June 9, 2016 | website=[[Swissinfo]] | access-date=June 9, 2016}}</ref> He handed over office on 31 December 1987.<ref name="Dies"/> After earning a law degree, he became an attorney-at-law in 1953. He began his political career as a member of the City Parliament of [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]] (1960–68), then served the Cantonal Parliament of Neuchâtel (1961–75) and was the President of the latter legislative body from  1969 until 70. Elected to the Council of States{{cns|in 1975,|date=June 2016}} he sat in this chamber of the Federal Parliament until his election to the Federal Council in 1977. From 1974 to 1977, he belonged to the Parliamentary Assembly of the [[Council of Europe]] and was rapporteur for the admission of [[Portugal]]. He was the chancellor of the [[University of Neuchâtel]] from 1971 to 1977.<ref name="Dies"/>

During his time in office, Aubert held the portfolio of the [[Political Department (Switzerland)|Political Department]] in 1978 and from 1979 to 1987 after it was renamed to "[[Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Switzerland)|Federal Department of Foreign Affairs]]". He was [[President of the Swiss Confederation|President of the Confederation]] twice: in 1983 and in 1987.<ref name="Dies"/> He stood for a Swiss active policy in general and in the Human rights field in particular. Aubert made 55 foreign trips, 39 of which were official trips.<ref name="Dies"/> Aubert visited four African countries and signed a declaration against apartheid in [[Nigeria]] in 1979.<ref name="Dies"/> He was the first Swiss foreign minister to establish contacts with the [[PLO]] leadership when he received Faruk Kaddhumi in July 1980 in Bern.<ref name="Dies"/> He led the unsuccessful campaign to join the [[United Nations]] in 1986 (only 24% of the voters were in favour).<ref name="Dies"/>