The document summarizes Switzerland's political system and government. It describes Switzerland as a multi-party federal parliamentary democratic republic. Executive power is shared by the Federal Council of 7 members and the Federal Chancellery. Citizens can directly propose legislation through referendums and initiatives. The Federal Assembly is bicameral. Political power is shared among the four largest parties in the Federal Council.

1. Politics of Switzerland
Benedict Gombocz

2. Introduction to Switzerland‟s political
system
 Politics of Switzerland function in structure of multi-party federal parliamentary
democratic republic, while Federal Council is head of government.
 Executive power is executed by government and federal administer; it is not
concentrated in any specific individual.
 Federal legislative power is exercised both in government and two chambers of
Federal Assembly of Switzerland (Bundesversammlung; Assemblée fédérale;
Assemblea federale; Assamblea federala).
 Judiciary is independent of executive and legislature.
 Referendum is compulsory for any change or modification in constitution;
referendum can be demanded for any change or modification in a law.
 Through use of referenda, citizens may defy any law voted by parliament and by
use of initiatives introduce amendments to federal constitution, making
Switzerland closer than any state in the world to direct democracy.

3. Government of Switzerland
 Government: Federal republic,
directorial system and direct
democracy
 Federal Council:
◦ Doris Leuthard
◦ Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (Pres. 12)
◦ Ueli Maurer (VP 12)
◦ Didier Burkhalter
◦ Simonetta Sommaruga
◦ Johann Schneider-Ammann
◦ Alain Berset
 Federal Chancellor: Corina
Casanova

4. Indirect and direct democracy
 As in all democracies, citizens in Switzerland elect representatives in their own
interest.
 However, Switzerland also grants its citizens the opportunity to take direct part in
decision-making.
 Although direct democracy is in no way unique to Switzerland (Italy and many
states of the United States are among those who likewise grant voters significant
decision-making role), Swiss political system is probably more extensive than any
in the world.
 Swiss citizens may offer legislation of their own, or thwart legislation already
passed by parliament; the only instance in which parliament may overrule this
right is if it decides that the proposal being considered is unconstitutional, or if it
infringes international law.

5. Executive Branch: The Federal
Council
 Federal Council (Bundesrat; Conseil fédéral;
Conseil fédéral), government of
Switzerland, has seven members; a different
member is elected Federal President every
year.
 Federal President (Bundespräsident(in);
Président(e) de la Confédération; Presidente
della Confederazione; President(a) da la
Confederaziun) exercises no special powers
or privileges; the president simply continues
to run his or her own department.
 Switzerland‟s four largest parties are
represented in council.
 Federal Council is helped and informed on
operation of its business by Federal
Chancellery.
 Chancellor attends weekly cabinet meetings
in consultative capacity; is sometimes
nicknamed “Eighth councillor”.
 Federal Councillors are much more available
than their counterparts in most nations.
 Swiss people are used to seeing them
travelling around with tram or in train just like
anyone else – much to astonishment of many
foreign security officials escorting leaders on
state visits; people can speak to them without
being removed by security guards.

6. Federal Assembly of
Switzerland
 Switzerland‟s federal parliament.
 Convenes in Bern in Federal Palace.
 Bicameral assembly; made up of 200-seat
National Council and 46-seat Council of
States, two houses that have identical
powers.
 Members of both houses represent cantons,
but while seats in National Council are
administered relative to population, every
canton has two seats in Council of States
(Ständerat; Conseil des Etats; Consiglio degli
Stati; Consiglio degli Stati) with the exception
of six „half-cantons‟, which have one seat
each.
 A law must be passed by both houses for it to
pass.
 In specific conditions, which includes electing
Federal Council, Federal Chancellor, General
(Swiss generals are only chosen in times of
great national danger), or federal judges.

7. Political parties represented in Federal
Council (government parties)
 Free Democratic Party* (Freisinnig-
Demokratische Partei, FDP; Parti radical-
démocratique, PRD; Partito liberale-radicale,
PLR; Partida liberaldemocrata svizra, PLD)
 Social Democratic Party, or Democratic Union of
the Centre (Sozialdemokratische Partei der
Schweiz, SP; Parti socialiste suisse, PS; Partito
Socialista Svizzero, PS; Partida Socialdemocrata,
PS)
 Christian Democratic Party
(Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz,
CVP; Parti Démocrate-Chrétien, PDC; Partito
Popolare Democratic, PPD; Partida
Cristiandemocratica, PCD)
 Swiss People‟s Party (Schweizerische
Volkspartei, SVP; Union démocratique du centre,
UDC)
 Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland
(Bürgerlich-Demokratische Partei Schweiz, BDP;
Parti Bourgeois Démocratique Suisse, PBD;
Partito Borghese Democratico Svizzero, PBD;
Partida Burgais Democratica Svizra, PBD)
◦ *Dissolved party

8. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
 Member of Swiss Federal Council since 1 January
2008 and current President of Switzerland since 1
January 2012.
 Born 16 March 1956 in Felsberg.
 Also directs Federal Department of Finance
(Swiss finance minister).
 Is married and has three children.
 Is daughter of ex-federal councillor Leon
Schlumpf.
 Second federal councillor whose father served in
same office, after Eugène Ruffy, and sixth woman
to be elected to Swiss Federal Council.
 Acquired her degree in law at University of Zurich
(Universität Zürich) in 1981 and her LLD in 1990.
 Worked as lawyer from 1987-1998.
 Was elected to district court of Trin in 1985;
presided over it from 1991-1997.
 Was cantonal legislative of Grisons from 1994-
1998; was elected to cantonal government as first
woman in 1998, and acted as president twice: first
in 2001 and again in 2005.

9. Corina Casanova
 Current Federal Chancellor of Switzerland
(Bundeskanzler(in); Chancelier(-ière)
fédéral(e); Cancelliere(-a) della
Confederazione; Chancelier(a) federal(a)).
 Born 4 January 1956 in Ilanz.
 Worked as lawyer in practice of ex-President
of Swiss Federal Supreme Court, Giusep
Nay, and Red Cross delegate in countries
such as South Africa, Angola, Nicaragua and
El Salvador.
 Also serves as federal parliamentary official
and advisor to Federal Councillors Flavio Cotti
and Joseph Deiss, both of Christian
Democratic People‟s Party.
 Elected to office of Vice-Chancellor by Swiss
Federal Assembly in August 2005; that
assembly elected her to office of Chancellor,
in December 2007, in course of 2007 Federal
Council election.
 Was assigned by Swiss Federal Council
member of directional committee for
electronic government in Switzerland.
 Member of Christian Democratic People‟s
Party and speaks six languages: Romansch,
German, French, Italian, English, and
Spanish.

10. FDP. The Liberals
 Classical liberal political party.
 Joint-biggest party in Federal Council, third-
biggest in National Council, and second-biggest
in Council of States.
 Formed on 1 January 2009 as merger of Free
Democratic Party (FDP) and smaller Liberal Party;
these two parties maintain separate organizations
in Vaud and Valais.
 Its youth organization is Young Liberals.
 Has most members of any Federal Council
party, with 130,000 members as of 2010 (30%
more than CVP, second-placed party).
 Member of Liberal International and Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party.
 Its leader is Fulvio Pelli.
 Current FDP representatives are Didier Burkhalter
and Johann Schneider-Ammann.

11. Social Democratic Party of
Switzerland
 Largest centre-left political party in
Switzerland.
 Founded on 21 October 1888; currently
second biggest of four leading coalition
parties in Switzerland.
 Left-most party with representatives in Swiss
Federal Council; also second biggest political
party in Swiss parliament.
 Current SP members in Swiss Federal
Council are Alain Berset and Simonetta
Sommaruga.
 Largest pro-European party in Switzerland
and favors Switzerland‟s membership in the
European Union, contrary to most Swiss
political parties.
 Full member of Socialist International and
associate member of Party of European
Socialists.

12. Swiss People‟s Party
 Also known as Democratic Union of the Centre.
 National conservative and right-wing populist political party.
 Chaired by Toni Brunner, but headed by Christoph Blocher;
biggest party in Federal Assembly, with 54 members of
National Council and five of Council of States.
 Founded on 22 September 1971 by merge of Party of
Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB) and Democratic
Party, whereas BGB was founded on background of
emerging native farmers‟ parties in late 1910s.
 Originally did not see any increased support outside that of
BGB, and remained at only about 11% of the vote throughout
1970s and 1980s; this changed, in contrast, during 1990s,
when the party experienced deep structural and ideological
changes under inspiration of Christoph Blocher, making the
party strongest party in Switzerland by 2000s.
 In line with reforms led by Blocher, the party began to
concentrate gradually more on issues like euroscepticism
and opposition to immigration.
 Currently has 54 seats in Federal Assembly; its vote share of
29% in the 2007 Federal Council election was the highest
known vote for one party in Switzerland.
 Subsequent to Blocher‟s failed re-election as Federal
Councillor in 2007, the party‟s moderates split off and
founded the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP).
 Is not a member of any European political party, but rather
sits alongside the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for
Europe in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe (PACE).

13. The End. Das Ende. La Fin. Alla fine.

14. Bibliography
 http://www.swissworld.org/en/politics/government_and_par
liament/the_federal_council/