Federal Assembly of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
The Federal Assembly is Switzerland
's federal
parliament
. It meets in Bern in the Federal Palace.
The Federal Assembly is bicameral
, being composed of the 200-seat National Council
and the 46-seat Council of States. The houses have identical powers. Members of both houses represent the cantons
, but, whereas seats in the National Council are distributed in proportion to population, each canton has two seats in the Council of States, except the six 'half-cantons' which have one seat each. Both are elected in full once every four years, with the last election
being held in 2007.
The Federal Assembly possesses the federal government's legislative power, along with the separate constitutional right of citizen's initiative. For a law to pass, it must be passed by both houses. The Federal Assembly may come together as a United Federal Assembly in certain circumstances, including to elect the Federal Council
, the Federal Chancellor, a General
(Swiss generals are only selected in times of great national danger), or federal judges.
Seats in the National Council are allocated to the cantons
proportionally, based on population. In the Council of States, every canton has two seats (except for the former "half-cantons", which have one seat each).
. These groups must have at least five members and must be maintained across both chambers. Being a member of a formal group gives members the right to sit on committees, and those that aren't members can't speak in most debates. Each group receives a fixed allowance of €112,000, whilst each member of a group also receives an additional €20,800 a year each.
Since March 2009, there have been six groups in the Federal Assembly.
The latest group to form was the Conservative Democratic Party which split off the Swiss People's Party in 2008.
The Christian Democrats/EPP/glp Group
(CEg) was formed after the 2007 elections, out of the former Christian Deocratic (C) and EPP (E) groups.
The current FTP/Liberal group (RL) was formed in 2003 out of the former FDP (R) and Liberal (L) groups; since the 2009 fusion of the Free Democrati
and Liberal
Parties, RL is once again a single-party group.
Currently (as of 2010), the six factions are composed as follows.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's federal
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. It meets in Bern in the Federal Palace.
The Federal Assembly is bicameral
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
, being composed of the 200-seat National Council
National Council of Switzerland
The National Council of Switzerland is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. With 200 seats, it is the larger of the two houses....
and the 46-seat Council of States. The houses have identical powers. Members of both houses represent the cantons
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
, but, whereas seats in the National Council are distributed in proportion to population, each canton has two seats in the Council of States, except the six 'half-cantons' which have one seat each. Both are elected in full once every four years, with the last election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
being held in 2007.
The Federal Assembly possesses the federal government's legislative power, along with the separate constitutional right of citizen's initiative. For a law to pass, it must be passed by both houses. The Federal Assembly may come together as a United Federal Assembly in certain circumstances, including to elect the Federal Council
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
, the Federal Chancellor, a General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
(Swiss generals are only selected in times of great national danger), or federal judges.
Composition
The Federal Assembly is made up of two chambers:- the National CouncilNational Council of SwitzerlandThe National Council of Switzerland is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. With 200 seats, it is the larger of the two houses....
, with 200 seats - the Council of States, with 46 councellors.
Seats in the National Council are allocated to the cantons
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
proportionally, based on population. In the Council of States, every canton has two seats (except for the former "half-cantons", which have one seat each).
United Federal Assembly
On occasions the two houses sit jointly as the "United Federal Assembly" . This is done to:- elect members of the Federal CouncilSwiss Federal CouncilThe Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
, the Federal Chancellor, the GeneralGeneral (Switzerland)The General is an office and rank in the armed forces of Switzerland. It is held by the commander-in-chief of the Army in time of war only. Under the Swiss Constitution, he must be elected by the Federal Assembly, assembled as the United Federal Assembly, specifically for the purpose of taking...
and federal judges; - arbitrate in the event of conflicts between federal authorities;
- issue pardonPardonClemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
s; or - listen to special announcements
Groups
Parties can cooperate in groups, allowing smaller parties access to rights as part of a caucusCaucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
. These groups must have at least five members and must be maintained across both chambers. Being a member of a formal group gives members the right to sit on committees, and those that aren't members can't speak in most debates. Each group receives a fixed allowance of €112,000, whilst each member of a group also receives an additional €20,800 a year each.
Since March 2009, there have been six groups in the Federal Assembly.
The latest group to form was the Conservative Democratic Party which split off the Swiss People's Party in 2008.
The Christian Democrats/EPP/glp Group
Christian Democrats/EPP/glp Group
The Christian Democrats/EVP/glp Group , abbreviated to CEg, is a centrist parliamentary group of three parties in Switzerland's federal legislature, the Federal Assembly. It is formed by the Christian Democratic People's Party , Evangelical People's Party , and Green Liberal Party...
(CEg) was formed after the 2007 elections, out of the former Christian Deocratic (C) and EPP (E) groups.
The current FTP/Liberal group (RL) was formed in 2003 out of the former FDP (R) and Liberal (L) groups; since the 2009 fusion of the Free Democrati
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
and Liberal
Liberal Party of Switzerland
The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party to establish FDP.The Liberals....
Parties, RL is once again a single-party group.
Currently (as of 2010), the six factions are composed as follows.
| Group | Parties | NC | CS | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss People's Party (V) | Swiss People's Party Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of... |
58 | 6 | 66 | |
| Ticino League Ticino League The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the... |
1 | 0 | |||
| Federal Democratic Union Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland The Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland is a political party in Switzerland.... |
1 | 0 | |||
| Christian Democrats/EPP/glp Group Christian Democrats/EPP/glp Group The Christian Democrats/EVP/glp Group , abbreviated to CEg, is a centrist parliamentary group of three parties in Switzerland's federal legislature, the Federal Assembly. It is formed by the Christian Democratic People's Party , Evangelical People's Party , and Green Liberal Party... (CEg) |
Christian Democratic People's Party Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss... |
31 | 14 | 52 | |
| Evangelical People's Party Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland The Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland is a political party in Switzerland.In questions of redistribution, education, environmentalism, immigration policy, the EVP stands rather center-left. In questions of euthanasia, abortion, and registered partnership and other typically Christian... |
2 | 0 | |||
| Green Liberal Party Green Liberal Party of Switzerland The Green Liberal Party of Switzerland , abbreviated to glp, is a centrist Green liberal political party in Switzerland. Founded in 2007, the party holds five seats in the Federal Assembly.... (G) |
3 | 2 | |||
| Social Democrats (S) | Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Switzerland The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland.... |
42 | 9 | 51 | |
| Parliamentary Group FDP.The Liberals (RL) | FDP.The Liberals FDP.The Liberals FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States.... |
35 | 12 | 47 | |
| Green Faction (G) | Green Party Green Party of Switzerland The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:... |
20 | 2 | 24 | |
| Christian Social Party Christian Social Party (Switzerland) The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions... |
1 | 0 | |||
| Swiss Party of Labour | 1 | 0 | |||
| BDP Faction | Conservative Democratic Party (BD) | 5 | 1 | 6 | |