A federal republic in central Europe; Also called: Suisse, Schweiz, Svizzera, Swiss Confederation.
Landlocked country in W Europe, bounded N by Germany, E by Austria and Liechtenstein, S by Italy, and W by France.
government
Switzerland is a federation of 20 cantons and six half-cantons (canton is the name for a political division, derived from Old French). The constitution dates from 1874 and provides for a two-chamber federal assembly, consisting of the National Council and the Council of States. The National Council has 200 members, elected by universal suffrage, through a system of proportional representation, for a four-year term. The Council of States has 46 members, each canton electing two representatives and each half-canton one. Members of the Council of States are elected for three or four years, depending on the constitutions of the individual cantons.
The federal government is in the hands of the Federal Council, consisting of seven members elected for a four-year term by the assembly, each heading a specific federal department. The federal assembly also appoints one member to act as federal head of state and head of government for a year, the term of office beginning on 1 Jan. The federal government is allocated specific powers by the constitution with the remaining powers left with the cantons, each having its own constitution, assembly, and government. At a level below the cantons are more than 3,000 communes, whose populations range from fewer than 20 to 370,000 (Zurich). Direct democracy is encouraged through communal assemblies and referenda.
history
The region was settled by peoples that the Romans called Helvetians or Transalpine Gauls, and it became a province of the Roman Empire after Julius Caesar's conquest. In 1291 the cantons of Schwyz, Uri, and Lower Unterwalden formed the Everlasting League to defend their liberties against their Hapsburg overlords. More towns and districts joined them, and there were 13 cantons by 1513. The Reformation was accepted during 1523–29 by Zürich, Berne, and Basel, but the rural cantons remained Catholic. Switzerland gradually won more freedom from Hapsburg control until its complete independence was recognized by the Treaty of Westphalia 1648.
democratic federation
A peasant uprising 1653 was suppressed. A French invasion 1798 established the Helvetic Republic with a centralized government; this was modified by Napoleon's Act of Mediation 1803, which made Switzerland a democratic federation. The Congress of Vienna 1815 guaranteed Swiss neutrality, and Switzerland received Geneva and other territories, increasing the number of cantons to 22.
After a civil war between the Sonderbund (a union of the Catholic cantons Lucerne, Zug, Freiburg, and Valais) and the Liberals, a revised federal constitution, giving the central government wide powers, was introduced 1848; a further revision 1874 increased its powers and introduced the principle of the referendum.
international role
Switzerland, for centuries a neutral country, has been the base for many international organizations and the host of many international peace conferences. A referendum 1986 rejected the advice of the government and came out overwhelmingly against membership in the United Nations (UN).
political stability
The country's domestic politics have been characterized by coalition governments and a stability that has enabled it to become, per person, one of the world's richest countries. The Oct 1987 election returned a four-party coalition to power, although there was a significant increase in the number of seats held by the Green Party. The Oct 1991 election, in which 18-year-olds were allowed to vote for the first time, saw little change in the resulting seat distribution, with the four-party coalition again retaining control. A national referendum Dec 1992 rejected closer ties with the European Community, and a further referendum June 1994 rejected a proposal for Switzerland to participate in UN peacekeeping operations. Kaspar Villiger succeeded Otto Stich as president Jan 1995.