Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Ueli Maurer (born 1 December 1950 in Wetzikon) is a member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. As a leading figure in the national-conservative Swiss People''s Party, he was elected by the Swiss Federal Assembly to succeed Federal Councillor Samuel Schmid in the Swiss Federal Council election of 10 December 2008 and took office on 1 January 2009.