Switzerland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Switzerland Image File history File links Coat_of_Arms_of_Switzerland. ... Switzerland is a federal republic, and perhaps the closest state in the world to a direct democracy. ...

Constitution Federal Council (members) Moritz Leuenberger (Pres. 06) Pascal Couchepin Joseph Deiss Samuel Schmid Micheline Calmy-Rey (VP 06) Christoph Blocher Hans-Rudolf Merz Federal Chancellor (list) Federal Assembly Council of States (members) National Council (members) Political parties Elections Election 2003 Voting in Switzerland Supreme Court Cantons Foreign relations Human rights

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The Swiss Constitution (Bundesverfassung in German, Constitution fédérale in French, Constituzione federale in Italian and Constituziun federala in Romansh) is at the highest level of Switzerland's judicial system. It regulates laws, regulations, and decrees of the federation, the cantons, and communities. Cantonal constitutions may not contradict the federal constitution. Amendments to the constitution require the assent of a majority of the people and of the cantons. The Swiss Federal Council (in German, Schweizerische Bundesrat; in French, Conseil fédéral suisse; in Italian, Consiglio federale svizzero; in Romansh, Cussegl federal svizzer) is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the government of Switzerland, as well as assuming functions corresponding to those of the head of state... The table below shows the members of the Swiss Federal Council or Federal Councilors (in German: Bundesräte, in French: conseillers fédéraux, in Italian: consiglieri federali) for any given year since instauration of the federal council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: conseil fédéral, in Italian: consiglio... Moritz Leuenberger (born September 21, 1946) is a Swiss politician. ... The list of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation (1848-present) presents the presiding member of the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerlands seven-member executive. ... Pascal Couchepin (born April 5, 1942) is a Swiss politician. ... Joseph Deiss (born January 18, 1946) is an economist and Swiss politician. ... Samuel Schmid Samuel Schmid (born January 8, 1947) is a member of the Swiss Federal Council, heading the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. ... Micheline Calmy-Rey (born July 8, 1945) is a Swiss politician. ... The list of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation (1848-present) presents the presiding member of the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerlands seven-member executive. ... Christoph Blocher (born 11 October 1940) is a Swiss politician, industrialist and member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police. ... Hans-Rudolf Merz (born 10 November 1942) is a Swiss politician. ... The Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler, in German; Chancelier fédéral in French; Cancelliere della Confederazione in Italian) is the head of the Federal Chancellery, which acts as the general staff of the seven-member Federal Council (the federal government). ... The Bundeshaus (Swiss parliament building) The Federal Assembly (in German, Bundesversammlung; in French, Assemblée fédérale; in Italian language, Assemblea federale), is Switzerlands federal parliament. ... The Council of States of Switzerland (German: Ständerat, French Conseil des Etats, Italian Consiglio degli Stati) is the upper house of the Swiss parliament. ... This is a list of the members of the Swiss Council of States of the current legislature (2003-2007). ... The National Council of Switzerland (German: Nationalrat, French: Conseil National, Italian: Consiglio Nazionale) is the large Chamber of the parliament and has 200 seats. ... This is a list of the 200 members of the Swiss National Council (as of January 2005). ... Political parties in Switzerland lists political parties in Switzerland. ... Politics of Switzerland Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Switzerland ... Legislative elections in the Swiss Confederation were held on 19 October 2003. ... Voting in Switzerland is the process with which Swiss citizens make decisions about governance and elect officials. ... The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland (Tribunal fédéral in French, Schweizerisches Bundesgericht in German, Tribunale federale in Italian) is the supreme court of Switzerland. ... The twenty-six cantons of Switzerland are the states of the federal state of Switzerland. ... Flag of Switzerland. ... Human rights are comprehensively guaranteed in Switzerland, one of Europes oldest democracies. ... Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a federal state of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably putting them among the worlds oldest surviving republics. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... The twenty-six cantons of Switzerland are the states of the federal state of Switzerland. ...

Jurisdiction

The Swiss Federal Constitution has a certain peculiarity when compared to other constitutions in the world. It does not provide for any constitutional jurisdiction over any federal laws, that is, laws proclaimed by Parliament may not be struck down by the Federal Court on the grounds of unconstitutionality. This special provision in the Swiss Constitution is a manifestation of how democratic principles are held to outweigh the principles upon which the constitutional state is built. Laws proclaimed by the Federal Assembly are not to be taken out of force by a court not chosen by the people. Lately, however, as a matter of principle, the Federal Court has tended to favour international law over a federal law in cases where the two conflict. The same exclusion of constitutional jurisdiction does not apply to cantonal laws, which may be interpreted or struck down as the Federal Court deems fit. This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

History

Memorial page to mark the revision of the federal constitution of 1874, featuring the motto "Einer für alle, alle für einen" (by E. Conrad, lithography on paper)

The groundwork for today's Swiss Constitution was laid with the promulgation of the Constitution of 12 September 1848, which was deeply influenced by the US Constitution and the ideas of the French Revolution. This constitution provided for the cantons' sovereignty, as long as this did not impinge on the Federal Constitution. This constitution was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the Sonderbundskrieg. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (463x695, 77 KB)Memorial page to mark the revision of the federal constitution of Switzerland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (463x695, 77 KB)Memorial page to mark the revision of the federal constitution of Switzerland. ... Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno is a Latin phrase that means One for all, all for one in English. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Page I of the Constitution of the United States of America Page II of the United States Constitution Page III of the United States Constitution Page IV of the United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and is... Liberty Leading the People, a painting by Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830 but which has come to be generally accepted as symbolic of French popular uprisings against the monarchy in general and the French Revolution in particular. ... A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight for political power or control of an area. ... In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons (Sonderbundskrieg). ...

The Constitution of 1848 was partly revised in 1866, and wholly revised in 1874. This latter constitutional change introduced the referendum at the federal level. Beginning in 1891, the constitution contained the "right of initiative", under which a certain number of voters could make a request to amend a constitutional article, or even to introduce a new article into the constitution. Thus, partial revisions of the constitution could be made any time. 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The Federal Constitution was wholly revised for the second time in the 1990s, and the new version was approved by popular and cantonal vote on 18 April 1999. It replaces the constitution of 29 May 1874, and it contains nine fundamental rights which up until then had only been discussed and debated in the Federal Court. It came into force on 1 January 2000. Seinfeld was a pop cultural phenomenon during the 90s and became one of the most popular TV programs ever. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Owing to constitutional initiatives and counterproposals, the Swiss Constitution is subject to continual changes.

See also: Politics of Switzerland. Switzerland is a federal republic, and perhaps the closest state in the world to a direct democracy. ...

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1848 Constitution

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External links

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1874 Constitution

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1999 Constitution

• English translation of Swiss Constitution (work in progress)
• German, French, and Italian texts of the Swiss Federal Constitution.

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikisource – The Free Library – is a Wikimedia project to build a free, wiki library of source texts, along with translations into any language and other supporting materials. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikisource – The Free Library – is a Wikimedia project to build a free, wiki library of source texts, along with translations into any language and other supporting materials. ...

Source

• Translation of linked German article.