 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(May 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in French. (February 2021)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Political System of Switzerland | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Polity type | Semi-direct democraticfederalrepublic |
| Constitution | Constitution of Switzerland |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Federal Assembly |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | Federal Palace,Bern |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Council of States |
| Presiding officer | Andrea Caroni,President of the Council of States |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Lower house | |
| Name | National Council |
| Presiding officer | Maja Riniker,President of the National Council |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state | |
| Title | President of the Confederation |
| Currently | Karin Keller-Sutter |
| Appointer | Federal Assembly |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Federal Council |
| Leader | President |
| Deputy leader | Vice President |
| Appointer | Federal Assembly |
| Headquarters | Federal Palace |
| Ministries | 7 |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of Switzerland |
| Federal Supreme Court | |
| Seat | Federal Courthouse,Lausanne |
Thegovernment ofSwitzerland is afederal state withdirect democracy.[1]
For any change in the constitution, areferendum is mandatory (mandatory referendum); for any change in alaw, a referendum can be requested (optional referendum). In addition, the people may present aconstitutional popular initiative to introduce amendments to thefederal constitution.
The people also assume a role similar to theconstitutional court, which does not exist, and thus sovereignty resides with the people, who exercise supreme political power and act as the guardians of the rule of law. According to theV-Dem Democracy indices, Switzerland was, in 2024, the most participatory democratic country in the world[4] and Freedom House has Switzerland as one of the freest countries in the world, scoring 39/40 points on political rights, and 57/60 on civil liberties for a total of 96/100 in 2024.[5]
TheEconomist Intelligence Unit rated Switzerland a "full democracy" in 2022.[6][needs update] According to theV-Dem Democracy indices, Switzerland was, in 2024, the 4th most electorally democratic country in the world.[4]
Cantonal and municipal politics vary in the differentcantons, which may have different systems.
Federalism refers to a vertical separation of powers. The aim is to avoid the concentration of power in a forum, which allows a moderation of state power and the easing of the duties of the federal state.
In Switzerland, it is above all a matter of designating the independence of the cantons vis-à-vis the Confederation.
.jpg)
TheSwiss Federal Council is a seven-member executive council that heads thefederal administration, operating as a combinationcabinet andcollective presidency. Any Swiss citizen eligible to be a member of theNational Council can be elected;[7] candidates do not have to register for the election, or to actually be members of the National Council. The Federal Council is elected by theFederal Assembly for a four-year term. Present members are:Guy Parmelin (SVP/UDC),Ignazio Cassis (FDP/PLR),Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP/PLR),Albert Rösti (SVP/UDC),Élisabeth Baume-Schneider (SP/PS),Beat Jans (SP/PS), andMartin Pfister (DM/LC).
The largely ceremonialPresident and Vice President of the Confederation are elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for one-year terms that run concurrently. The President has almost no powers over and above his or her six colleagues, but undertakes representative functions generally performed by a president or prime minister in single-executive systems. The current President and Vice President are, as of 2025,Karin Keller-Sutter andGuy Parmelin, respectively.
The Swiss executive is one of the most stable governments worldwide. Since 1848, it has never been renewed entirely simultaneously, providing a long-term continuity. From 1959 to 2003 the Federal Council was composed of a coalition of all major parties in the same ratio: two each from the (now-defunct)Free Democratic Party,Social Democratic Party and (now-defunct)Christian Democratic People's Party and one from theSwiss People's Party. Changes in the Federal Council typically only occur in the event that one of the members resigns (only four incumbent members have been voted out of the office in over 150 years);[8] this member is almost always replaced by someone from the same party (and often also from the same linguistic group).
The Federal Chancellor is the head of theFederal Chancellery of Switzerland, which acts as the general staff of the Federal Council. The Chancellery is divided into three distinct sectors. The Chancellor, currentlyViktor Rossi, is the formal head of the Federal Chancellor Sector, comprising the planning and strategy section, the Internal Services section, the political rights section, the federal crisis management training unit of the Federal Administration and the Records and Process Management section.
Two sectors are headed by theVice-Chancellors: the Federal Council sector headed byJörg De Bernardi manages the agenda of the Federal Council's meeting. This sector comprises the Section for Federal Council Affairs, the Legal Section, the Official Publications Centre, and the Central Language Services. The Information and Communications Sector is ledad interim by Ursula Eggenberger, following Vice-ChancellorAndré Simonazzi's death in May 2024; this role also has expanded to become the official spokesman for the Federal Council in 2000. This sector includes the e-Government Section, the Communication Support Section and the Political Forum of the Confederation.
The federal government has been a coalition of the four major political parties since 1959, each with a number of seats that roughly reflects its share of electorate and representation in the federal parliament. The classic distribution of 2 CVP/PDC, 2 SP/PS, 2 FDP/PRD and 1 SVP/UDC as it stood from 1959 to 2003 was known as the "magic formula".[8]
This "magic formula" has been repeatedly criticised: in the 1960s, for excluding leftist opposition parties; in the 1980s, for excluding the emerging Green Party; and particularly after the1999 election, by the Swiss People's Party, which had by then grown from being the fourth-largest party in the National Council to being the largest. In the2003 federal election, the Swiss People's Party received (effective 1 January 2004) a second seat in the Federal Council, reducing the share of the Christian Democratic Party to one seat.
Switzerland has abicameralparliament, theFederal Assembly, which is composed of:
The Federal Assembly convenes to elect the members of the Federal Council.The two chambers are equal (perfect bicameralism). This power-sharing system prevents monopolization of federal politics by more populated cantons to the detriment of smaller and rural cantons.
Members of both houses serve for 4 years and only serve as members of parliament part-time (so-called "Milizsystem" orCitizen legislature).[9]
Switzerland has a rich party landscape. The four parties represented in the Federal Council are generally called the government parties:The Liberals (FDP/PLR), theSocial Democratic Party (SP/PS),The Centre (DM/LC) and theSwiss People's Party (SVP/UDC).
Switzerland has aFederal Supreme Court, with judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly. The function of theFederal Supreme Court is to hear appeals of cantonal courts or the administrative rulings of the federal administration.Switzerland does not have a Constitutional Court, and the Supreme Court cannot comment on law put forward by the parliament. This role is assumed by the people, which acts as a guardian and can repeal any legislation or constitutional change.
There are 26cantons in Switzerland.[10] Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts.[11]
InAppenzell Innerrhoden andGlarus citizens assemble each year for theLandsgemeinde (general assembly) to elect the cantonal government and judiciary and to vote on several issues on the agenda (direct democracy)[12][13]
Switzerland features a system of government not seen in any other nation: direct representation, sometimes called half-direct democracy (this may be arguable, because theoretically, the sovereign of Switzerland is actually its entire electorate).[14]Referendums on the most important laws have been used since the1848 constitution.
Amendments to the Federal Constitution of Switzerland, the joining of international organisations, or changes to federal laws that have no foundation in the constitution but will remain in force for more than one year must be put to a popular vote and approved by the majority of both the people and thecantons, adouble majority. These are called mandatory referendums. In March 2024 75% of mandatory referendums were accepted from a total of 226[15]
Any citizen may challenge a law that has been passed by parliament through an optional referendum. If that person is able to gather 50,000 signatures against the law within 100 days of the legislation being published, a national vote has to be scheduled where voters decide by asimple majority of the voters whether to accept or reject the law.[16] In March 2024 58% of optional referendums were accepted from a total of 209.[1]
Furthermore, any citizen may seek a decision on anamendment they want to make to the constitution. For such afederal popular initiative to be organised, the signatures of 100,000 voters must be collected within 18 months.[17] Such afederal popular initiative is formulated as a precise new text (general proposal initiatives have been canceled in 2009)[18] whose wording can no longer be changed by parliament and the government. After a successful signature gathering, theFederal Council may create a counterproposal to the proposed amendment and put it to vote on the same day as the original proposal. Such counterproposals are usually a compromise between thestatus quo and the wording of the initiative. Voters will decide in a national vote whether to accept the initiative amendment, the counterproposal put forward by the government if any, or both. If both are accepted, one has to additionally signal a preference. Initiatives (that are of constitutional level) have to be accepted by adouble majority of both the popular votes and a majority of the cantons, while counter-proposals may be of legislative level and hence require only simple majority. In March 2024 11% of popular initiatives were accepted from a total of 231[15]
When the optional referendum was first introduced in 1874 and the popular initiative was introduced in 1891, decisions by the liberal government at the time were constantly challenged and blocked through the use of these mechanisms by the conservatives who had lost the civil war in 1849. This resulted in a success rate of less than 50% for government decisions at the time. In this case, these direct democracy mechanisms directly inhibited the government’s ability to legislate and progress decisions.[19]
To resolve this problem, pre-parliamentary consultations were institutionalized in the early 20th century. The Swiss government now undertakes procedures and practices that includes key stakeholders that would have the power and resources to challenge legislation through referendum in the process of formulating and writing legislation. If these key groups respond negatively towards a proposed piece of legislation, the government will often sand down the edges to achieve a compromised position that is less likely to be formally challenged via a referendum or initiative. In the last decade only approximately 5% of legislative acts were challenged to a referendum, of which over 70% were approved in the popular vote.[19]
To ensure that certain powerful groups do not entirely control the narrative on issues up for popular votes, there are rules in place such as prohibiting political advertising on television and radio and the media are required to provide fair and balanced accounts of events related to elections and popular votes.[20]
Switzerland has a stable government, with democratic power sharing throughconsociationalism. Most voters support the government in its philosophy of armed neutrality underlying its foreign and defense policies. Domestic policy poses some major problems, to the point that many observers deem that the system is in crisis[21] but the changing international environment has generated a significant reexamination of Swiss policy in key areas such as defense, neutrality, and immigration. Quadrennial national elections typically produce only marginal changes in party representation.
In recent years, Switzerland has seen a gradual shift in the party landscape. Theright-wingSwiss People's Party (SVP), traditionally the junior partner in the four-partycoalition government, more than doubled its voting share from 11.0% in 1987 to 22.5% in 1999, rising to 28.9% in 2007, thus overtaking its three coalition partners. This shift in voting shares put a strain on the "magic formula", the power-broking agreement of the four coalition parties. From 1959 until 2004, the seven-seat cabinet had comprised 2 Free Democrats, 2 Christian Democrats, 2 Social Democrats, and 1 Swiss People's Party, but in 2004, the Swiss People's Party took one seat from the Christian Democrats. In 2008 theConservative Democratic Party split from the SVP, taking both of their Federal Council seats with them. However, the SVP eventually retook both seats, in 2009 and 2015 respectively.[22]
TheSwiss Federal Constitution limits federal influence in the formulation ofdomestic policy and emphasizes the roles ofprivate enterprise andcantonal government. However, in more recent times the powers of the Confederation have increased with regard toeducation,agriculture,health,energy, theenvironment,organized crime, andnarcotics.[23]
TheEconomist Intelligence Unit rated Switzerland a "full democracy" in 2022.[6][needs update] According toFreedom House, an AmericanNGO, Switzerland is among the freest countries in the world, with a 2020 score of 39/40 onpolitical rights and 57/60 oncivil liberties (for a combined score of 96/100).[24] Switzerland has a high level ofpress freedom, ranking 8th internationally (out of 180 countries) in the 2020Press Freedom Index published byReporters Without Borders.[25] Additionally, Switzerland is perceived to be among the leastpolitically corrupt nations in the world, ranking 3rd internationally (tied withSweden andSingapore) in the 2020Corruption Perceptions Index published byTransparency International.[26]
While there is not an explicit ban on protesting in Switzerland, the country has been criticized by groups such as Amnesty International for the obligation to gain official approval to protest and shoulder potential costs in some cantons. The 2024 Amnesty International annual report[27] found that peaceful protesters faced disproportionate restrictions by police and cantonal authorities. Amnesty International claim that the right to protest enables individuals to express universally recognized human rights such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, the right to life, and more.[28]
Switzerland has avoided alliances that might entail military, political, or direct economic action. In June 2001, Swiss voters approved new legislation providing for the deployment of armed Swiss troops for international peacekeeping missions underUnited Nations orOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe auspices as well as international cooperation in military training. The Swiss have broadened the scope of activities in which they feel able to participate without compromising their neutrality.
Switzerland maintains diplomatic relations with almost all countries and historically has served as aneutral intermediary and host to major international treaty conferences. The country has no major disputes in its bilateral relations.
Theelectrical energy generated in Switzerland comprises 56.6%hydroelectricity, 32.4% fromnuclear power, 8%renewable energy and 3% from conventional sources.[29]
On 18 May 2003, tworeferendums regarding the future of nuclear power in Switzerland were held. The referendumElectricity Without Nuclear asked for a decision on anuclear power phase-out andMoratorium Plus asked about an extension of an existing law forbidding the building of newnuclear power plants. Both were turned down: Moratorium Plus by a margin of 41.6% for and 58.4% opposed, and Electricity Without Nuclear by a margin of 33.7% for and 66.3% opposed. The former ten-yearmoratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants was the result of afederal popular initiative voted on in 1990 which had passed with 54.5% Yes vs. 45.5% No votes (seeNuclear power in Switzerland for details).
In May 2011, due to theFukushima accident in Japan, the Swiss government decided to abandon plans to build new nuclear reactors. The country's five existing reactors will be allowed to continue operating, but will not be replaced at the end of their life span. The last will go offline in 2034.[30]
Voting in Appenzell requires a large dose of patience. The more than 3,900 people crowded into the ring remain standing – only the elderly and handicapped are provided with seats – for more than three hours... "This is a very special occasion," whispers a woman standing outside the circle: "They will count the votes!" – something that hasn't happened for the past decade. For the count to happen, the crowd slowly splits into two currents and trickles out of the ring through two separate exits, each representing a candidate. Four counters at each exit click their buttons for each person who walks by.
