h; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular
- cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau,
Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft,
Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura,
Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen,
Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

Independence:

1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

National holiday:

Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Constitution:

revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament
18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially
entered into force 1 January 2000

Legal system:

civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of
legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general
obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2008);
Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
representing the Federal Council; the Federal Council is the formal
chief of state and head of government whose council members,
rotating in one-year terms as federal president, represent the
Council
head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January
2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008)
cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal
(in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal
Assembly usually from among its members for a four-year term
elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal
Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for a
one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms); election last
held on 12 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2008)
election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of
Federal Assembly vote - 80.0%; Hans-Rudolf MERZ elected vice
president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 86.5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German),
Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian)
consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German)