the National Council, or popular legislative body, with
the condition simply that not more than one member may be chosen from
the same canton. Nominally, the term of members is three years;
practically, it is variable, for whenever the National Council is
dissolved prior to the expiration of its triennial period the new
Assembly proceeds forthwith to choose a new Federal Council. Two
officials, designated respectively as President of the Confederation
and Vice-President of the Federal Council, are elected annually by the
Assembly from among the seven members of the Council. A retiring
president may not be elected president or vice-president for the
succeeding year; nor may any member occupy the vice-presidency during
two consecutive years. By custom the vice-president regularly (p. 424)
succeeds to the presidency. The function of the President, as such, is
simply that of presiding over the deliberations of the Council. He has
no more power than any one of his six colleagues. Like each of them,
he assumes personal direction of some one of the principal executive
departments.[617] The only peculiarity of his status is that he
performs the ceremonial duties connected with the titular headship of
the state and draws a salary of 13,500 francs instead of the 12,000
drawn by each of the other councillors. He is in no sense a "chief
executive."

[Footnote 616: Art. 95. Dodd, Modern Constitutions,
II., 281.]

[Footnote 617: No longer, as prior to 1888,
necessarily that of foreign affairs.]

*468. The Executive Departments.*--The business of the Council is
divided among the seven departments of Foreign Affairs, Interior,
Justice and Police, Military Affairs, Imposts and Finance, Posts and
Railways, and Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture. Each department is
presided over by a member of the Council, and to each is assigned from
time to time, by the President, such subjects for consideration as
properly fall within its domain. It is stipulated by the constitution,
however, that this distribution shall be made for the purpose only of
facilitating the examination and despatch of business. All decisions
are required to emanate from the Council as a body.[618] Ordinarily a
councillor remains at the head of a department through a considerable
number of years,[619] and it may be added that, by reason of an
increase in the aggregate volume of governmental