Government & politics — Switzerland

• history: previous 1848, 1874; latest adopted by referendum 18 April 1999,
• effective 1 January 2000 amendments: proposed by the two houses of the Federal Assembly or by petition of at least one hundred thousand voters (called the "federal popular initiative"); passage of proposals requires majority vote in a referendum; following drafting of an amendment by the Assembly, its passage requires approval by majority vote in a referendum and approval by the majority of cantons; amended many times, last in 2018

• chief of state: President of the Swiss Confederation
• Karin KELLER-SUTTER (since 1 January 2025) head of government: President of the Swiss Con
• federation Karin KELLER-SUTTER (since 1 January 2025) cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) indirectly elected by the Fe
• deral Assembly for a 4-year term election/appointment process: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among members of the Federal Council for a 1-year,
• non-consecutive term most recent election date: 11
• December 2024 election results: 2024: Karin KELLER-SUTTER elected president for 2025; Federal Assembly vote - Karin KELLER-SUTTER (FDP.The Liberals) 168 of 203; Guy PARLEMIN (SVP) elected vice president for 2025;
• Federal Assembly vote - 196 of 219 2023: Viola AMHERD elected president for 2024; Federal Assembly vote - Viola AMHERD (The Center) 158 of 204; Karin KELLER-SUTTER (FDP.The Liberals) elected vice president for 2024;
• Federal Assembly vote - 138 of 196 2022: Alain BERSET elected president for 2023; Federal Assembly vote - Alain BERSET (SP) 140 OF 181; Viola AMHERD elected vice president; Fede
• December 2025 note: the Federal Council, composed of 7 federal councilors, constitutes the federal government of Switzerland; council members rotate the 1-year term of federal president

Description

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblée Fédérale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of: Council of States or Ständerat (in German), Conseil des États (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats; members in two-seat constituencies representing cantons and single-seat constituencies representing half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote except Jura and Neuchatel cantons, which use list proportional representation vote; member term governed by cantonal law) National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; 194 members in cantons directly elected by proportional representation vote and 6 in half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)

Elections

Council of States - last held in most cantons on 22 October 2023 (each canton determines when the next election will be held) National Council - last held on 22 October 2023 (next to be held on 31 October 2027)

Election Results

• Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - The Center 13, FDP.The Liberals 12, SP 9, SVP 6, Green Party 5, other 1
• composition as of February 2024 - men 30, women 16, percentage women 34.8% National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 28.6%, SP 18%, The Center 14.6%, FDP.The Liberals 14.4%, Green Party 9.4%, GLP 7.2%, EDU 1.2, EDV/PEV 1.9%, MCR/MCG .5%, other 4%
• seats by party - SVP 62, SP 41, The Center 29, FDP.The Liberals 28, Green Party 23, GLP 10, EDU 2, EDV/PEV 2, MCR/MCG 2, other 1
• composition as of February 2024 - men 123, women 77, percentage women 38.5%;

Note

total Federal Assembly percentage women 37.8%

• highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court (consists of 38 justices and 19 deputy justices o
• rganized into 7 divisions) judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Federal Assembly for 6-year terms; note - judges are affiliated with political parties and are elected according to linguistic and regional criteria in approximate proportion to the level of pa
• rty representation in the Federal Assembly subordinate courts: Federal Criminal Court (established in 2004); Federal Administrative Court (established in 2007); note - each of Switzerland's 26 cantons has its own courts

Summary

26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Berne/Bern, Fribourg/Freiburg, Geneve (Geneva), Glarus, Graubuenden/Grigioni/Grischun, Jura, Luzern (Lucerne), Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais/Wallis, Vaud, Zug, Zuerich note: the canton names are in the official language(s) of the canton with the exception of Geneve and Luzern, where the conventional names (Geneva and Lucerne) have been added in parentheses; 6 of the cantons - Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Nidwalden, Obwalden - are referred to as half cantons because they elect only one member (instead of two) to the Council of States

Regions or States

• and
• in popular referendums where a majority of popular votes and a majority of cantonal votes are required
• these 6 cantons only have a half vote

• The Center (Die Mitte, Alleanza del Centro, Le Centre, Allianza dal Center) [Gerhard PFISTER] (merger of the Christian Democratic People's Party and the Conservative Democratic Party)
• Evangelical Peoples' Party or EVP/PEV [Lilian STUDER]
• Federal Democrats or EDU [Daniel FRISCHKNECH]
• Geneva Citizens Movement or MCR/MCG [Ana ROCH]
• Green Liberal Party (Gruenliberale Partei or GLP, Parti vert liberale or PVL, Partito Verde-Liberale or PVL, Partida Verde Liberale or PVL) [Jurg GROSSEN]
• Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Balthasar GLATTLI]
• The Liberals or FDP.The Liberals (FDP.Die Liberalen, PLR.Les Liberaux-Radicaux, PLR.I Liberali, Ils Liberals) [Thierry BURKART]
• Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SP, Parti Socialiste Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Cedric WERMUTH and Mattea MEYER]
• Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica di Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Marcel DETTLING]

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent
• yes residency requirement for naturalization: 12 years including at least 3 of the last 5 years prior to application

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, EITI (implementing country), ESA, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission

Ambassador Scott C. MILLER (since 11 January 2022) note - also accredited to Liechtenstein embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern mailing address: 5110 Bern Place, Washington DC 20521-5110

telephone

[41] (031) 357-70-11

FAX

[41] (031) 357-73-20

Email address and website

• https://ch.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Jacques Henri PITTELOUD (since 16 September 2019)

chancery

2900 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 745-7900

FAX

[1] (202) 387-2564

Email address and website

• washington@eda.admin.ch
• https://www.eda.admin.ch/washington

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco consulate(s): Boston